Tag Archives: Sir Godfrey

GAMECOCKS Knights- “Kitbash Bros.”SpartanNerd figure reviews and customization project

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Way back. WAY back….WAY BACK in February (2025) there was this magical event called “The SCMEA Conference.” (Happens every year.)

I took this couple of days of staying in Columbia South Carolina to do a bevy of figure reviews. I reviewed MASTERVERSE New Eternia Evil-Lyn, the Mythic Legions Ninian Infantry snake warrior guys, and the MASTERVERSE Skelcon. But I also began this project, that I eventually named “Kitbash Bros.” I wanted to wait until football season to release the review, so here we are on this season opening Labor Day weekend of 2025.

The Four Horsemen Studios had just released their wave of Legion Builder knights figures. These were a lot of the same knight over and over in different colorways. Most of them. (These are still on sale on their store…you should go take a look). Truly most of them are the same figure. There seems to be an “evil” and a “heroic” type, with some varying helmets. But the striking thing is the different colors. But then there was the Red Leather knight. He was different. And when I saw him, I knew it was time to get crafty.

I had been collecting knights, along with skeletons, barbarians, and apparently non-mythic legions females. (It’s true. My uncles should make fun of me for all of the Evil-lyn, Teela, Sorceress figures, etc). So I had Sir Godfrey and also a Gold Knight. And also the Xylernian Guard, more of an archer but still similar. When I got Sir Godfrey, with his “Knight Templar” motif, I noticed a dark version…”the Dark Knight Templar.” What’s more, he was far cheaper than Godfrey. But I decided to hold off.

But Red Leather Knight…Dark Knight Templar…SCMEA Convention in COLUMBIA South Carolina, home of the Fighting Gamecocks…FOREVER TO THEE. See where I was heading? I could in theory combine the pieces of the two knights and make an ultimate “Gamecocks Knight!” (There was a proper “Gothitropolis Ravens” rooster kind of in Gamecocks color. But who has that? A true mascot figure.)

(The Gothitropolis Ravens are dream figures…I felt priced out and this was one of the reasons why it took me so long to get into Mythic Legions)

I said “began” at the beginning of this post. Keep reading to see how this turned out.

(Post Structure: Dark Knight Templar review first, Red Leather Legion Builder next, then Kitbash Bros)

DARK TEMPLAR PACKAGING

The Dark Knight Templar came in the usually collector-friendly packaging. You can see the figure inside very well. (I am in a hotel room, where I have made a photography table out of the end table and a book light that was attached to the bed…I did the same thing with Evil-Lyn and others that I reviewed in this room). Perhaps notable is I don’t think sourcehorsemen is a website anymore, showing the age of this figure. (I believe this was among the first figures labeled “Mythic Legions,” so Gen 2 knight after the ravens)

The back has this image. And I don’t think I have seen this image before. It shows all the guys who came out in the wave kind of lined up in a battle formation. And there were eight figures in that wave…impressive. The only one I think I have seen is the goblin guy. Maybe the bearded guy on the bottom. The ones I have seen are probably re-issues (All Stars waves)

Here is everything you get.

  • Black Knight Templar figure
  • Halberd weapon in two parts (pole and axe)
  • Shield with the Templar Cross in black and white
  • Shoulder pauldrons of a smaller variety than usual
  • A regular knight’s sword, with a scabbard
  • a leather weapons strap.
  • Also notable…those “wings” on the helmet are removable.

So this figure works exactly like Sir Godfrey. But he has those wings on the helmet. (fins? horns?)

This was my first time with the halberd…a weapon that I would see again. This time it was in chrome. The pauldrons snapped right into place with little effort. So that’s unexpected.

BUT…the scabbard. Such a rare accessory. I was excited to see this! But sadly, the connector on the back of it came off with the tiniest of effort to get it on the weapons strap. BOO! But this would prove to be the only real problem with the figure.

Sculpt and paint. Great! (1 point)

Accessories. Great! (1 point)

Articulation. Very nice (1 point)

Stupid problems– easily broken scabbard. (no point. BOO!)

The Feels. I am going hold this point until the project is over. The purpose after all is to make a Gamecocks Knight! (? Point). But as a standalone figure he seems like he would work well in Elden Ring.

RED LEATHER KNIGHT PACKAGING

Once again, classic Mythic Legions packaging. BUT…this time we have foil lettering. NICE!

The back notably doesn’t have a cross-sell on it. Instead we get what I think is the same image that came with the Heroic Magic Effects, but with a foil Four Horsemen Studios mascot on there. There is a bio on the back. And basically “choose your armor and select your weapons”…is the cross-sell. They want you to go buy a whole mess of these guys. (You can buy the whole set for $450 or individuals for around $45)

I have installed the pauldrons, the belt, and the weapons strap already.

Here is everything you get

  • Red Leather Knight Legion Builder
  • A pair of pauldrons
  • A weapon strap (the usual)
  • A belt with leather strips
  • A shield
  • A mace that has two options for a head
  • A sword with scabbard
  • An epic sword
  • a pair of fists.

So let’s characterize this figure as the newest knights build, maybe gen 3, as opposed to the dark Knight Templar which seems to be pretty old. These pauldrons went in easier than any other mythic legions I have, including the Ninian Infantry. Right away, this was noticeable. The sculpt and paint on this are remarkable, especially since the price was fairly low. Every rivet has a gold paint hit. He is a little more glossy than I expected…I consider this to be ok, but maybe it takes away from the idea of “leather” a little bit. The head is the same knight’s head that came with Father Christmas, and I think this is the first figure to use it. I mean…look how awesome he looks. And this is without discussing the accessories.

The shield…Let’s just say this shield puts the MASTERVERSE shields to shame. It is the same shield that came with the Undead of Vikenfell, only in gold and gray. Why are there two swords? One normal knight sword, and the other epic “greatsword?” The weapons strap has a gold buckle paired on it (yay!) and the leather belt has more leather bits hanging down. If you played Skyrim you know you can use leather bits like this to improve your armor. The mace has the same head that came with the mace the Ninian Infantry had, but this time with gray and silver “enamel (wrong word?)”. The alternate is a classic iron ball with studs. So there are paint hits on every stud on the figure, and studs on the weapon. So is this guy a … stud… (Don’t ask me!)

Sculpt and paint. Great! (1 point)

Accessories. Great! (1 point)

Articulation. Very nice (1 point)

Stupid problems– Well, I was extra careful with that scabbard. But it is the exact same piece I assure you and has the same stupid problem. BUT. I am aware of it and had no breakage. So I won’t mark down on this one.

The Feels. I am going hold this point until the project is over. The purpose after all is to make a Gamecocks Knight! (? Point). Same comment as above…he seems like he would belong in Elden Ring.

THE PROCESS OF CUSTOMIZING

After I took the photos above, I got to work customizing. And I went ahead and got out the hotel hair dryer. (I didn’t want any incidents like happened with The Monkey King.)

I sat in the floor of the hotel room with all of the pieces disassembled. Right away it is obvious that the Red Leather Knight is more easily modular than the Dark Knight Templar. I don’t know how many years separate these two guys, but the Legion Builder seems to want you to take him apart and re-arrange him, while the other more legendary figure seems to fight you. I didn’t need the hairdryer on the Red Leather Knight, but I had to use it over and over on the dark knight templar. And then…as I began to re-assemble them how I wanted, Dark Knight Templar did NOT want to play well. I had to use the hairdryer again and again. And I was starting to get tired. So I put it in a box and took it home to work on over the next weekend.

…ONE WEEK LATER…(I hoped to do this quickly. Oh well!)

I got them together how I wanted, but they still weren’t “Gamecocky” enough. So I went to the store and got some magnets (no sports stickers at Dollar General Market?) and adapted one for the blank shield that came with the gold knight. Some time during the COVID crisis, I built a Master Grade Epyon Ver Ka model, and used glossy reddish-purplish paint. I used some of this. And so I now present (you probably already saw it as the lead image to this post)

TWO GAMECOCKS KNIGHTS!

I hit the Dark Knight Templar helmet with some … let’s call it “garnet” highlights on the wings and on the cross of the helmet. (Sir Godfrey has a gold cross in the same way). I’ve swapped legs pieces, shoes pieces, and arms pieces to even it out, and they both appear now to play for the Fighting Gamecocks!

And so, in memory of when Carolina defeated Clemson on November 30, 2024, with a score of 17-14, and also in honor of todays (August 31, 2025) win over Virginia Tech at the 2025 season opener, (24-11)…

SEE WHAT I DID HERE?

PICTURED: Garnet and Black vs. Orange. Kitbash bros and Cosmic Legions T.U.5.C.C Pilot vs. Cosmic Legions Wal-Torr the Mad, MASTERVERSE New Eternia Beast Man and Snout Spout.

SPARTANNERD RATING

Is it fair to rate my own project? No, what I am rating are the two action figures, and including whatever my project accomplishments were to “the feels” score.

Dark Knight Templar– This one gets 4/5, losing a point because of the broken scabbard. A scabbard is kind of a rare piece, and I was excited to see it, but so disappointed that it broke when I was just using it normally. The sculpt is great. The paint is dark and moody and great. Who doesn’t love the black knight? An iconic character re-imagined as Batman and also as Darth Vader. He did give me some problems with being a modular figure…all Mythic Legions are modular with swappable parts. But he fought against me. Just the same, I was able to get TWO Gamecocks Knights, so 4/5.

Red Leather Knight– This one gets all 5/5. Awesome paint for a Legion Builder…a figure meant to be bought as an army. Great accessories, though two swords is a head scratcher. I especially like the shield, and he looks very “football” really without even doing anything to him. Easy 5/5. And it was his parts that made the TWO Gamecocks Knights that are the KITBASH BROS.

Do you agree or disagree, Oh Hub City geeks? Let me know in the comments! Like and subscribe also the SpartanNerd YouTube Channel!

(Sorry for not many reviews lately…Summer Vacation is over an all that, but I have several things coming soon)

SpartanNerd Action Figure Showdown- Undead of Vikenfell vs Battle Armor Skeletor

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Watch the YouTube video HERE

This is the final post about these two. And it’s about time.

Both of these figures are 5/5. So which is better? After thinking about it and posting a video review, the way I can do this is just exactly the way I did Mythic Legions Demistros vs. Super7 Ultimates! Black Falcon. Compare specs to specs.

FIRST OF ALL, A WORD ON THE RATING SYSTEM

I award up to five points. These are based on qualities of the product.

  • Sculpt
  • Paint
  • Articulation (noting “stupid problems”)
  • Accessories (quality and quantity)
  • And something intangible. “What does this add to the collection” is a common question. Another, “What does this figure represent?”
PICTURED: All MASTERVERSE figures. 40th Anniversary He-Man, New Eternia Trap Jaw, NE Mekaneck, NE Snout Spout.

Each of the above figures is a 5/5. (Note: I retro-actively upgraded 40th Anniversary He-Man to 5/5. I’m allowed!). Each has a great sculpt, good paint, articulation without stupid problems, a good amount of accessories that are also excellent in sculpt, paint, etc, and finally they each represent something intangibly awesome. Rev. SpartanNerd might even say “spiritual.”

He-Man is the OG He-Man, made into MASTERVERSE scale. Like I said, I upgraded him eventually, realizing that he was the best He-Man we would be getting in MASTERVERSE and is the ceiling of “epic” for that line. Trap Jaw is the greatest Trap Jaw figure ever made. Mekaneck represented the addition of new and indispensable heroic characters, and look at how great they made him (I have added five neck joints). And Snout Spout always seems to be some kind of “wimp” to make fun of, but they made him an awesome firefighter who is fighting Snake Men on the package. Plus, he’s huge!

PICTURED: All Mythic or Cosmic Legions. Sir Godfrey, Demistros, and SSKUR’GE.

Same here. Each of the above is a 5/5. They hit all of those boxes. PLUS Sir Godfrey is fully chrome (I have swapped Father Christmas alternate head). Demistros is a Skeletor homage, but more of the horned head comic version, and SSKUR’GE is a Whiplash homage.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Black Falcon and GI Joe Classified Series Gnawgahyde, Porkbelly, and Yobbo.

Once again, but from different lines. These guys are 5/5. In this case they both have so many awesome accessories.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN WHEN PITTING TWO 5/5 AGAINST ONE ANOTHER

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE News Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor. The SpartanNerd took this photo with the head from the Skeletor that came with the Bone Throne. The helmet fits just as well.
PICTURED: Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell. This head is the SpartanNerd’s favorite skull head now.

Back to what I said. Lining up the two side by side and measuring the qualities. Mythic Legions sculpt is already better than MASTERVERSE, but there is a price difference.

Vikenfell’s paint is intricate and masterful, while Battle Armor Skeletor’s is basic and lacking on the body of the figure. (The armor is well done.) But then there is that price difference.

Both have great articulation., with Undead of Vikenfell being slightly better, but Mythic Legions are more expensive and just have a different M.O. with the parts swappability.

Accessories…Vikenfell has more. Skeletor wins the axe battle because of the size, but only barely because Vikenfell’s axe is so much more detailed. Vikenfell’s scimitar is better. He has a shield, three different heads, two hands, and a cape. Hello! This is the winner.

But in the abstract fifth category, they both tie. Battle Armor Skeletor’s needed to be released for MASTERVERSE…and you could say it was inevitable. But who saw Mattel doing as awesome a job as they did? Undead of Vikenfell is just one of many Mythic Legions skeleton warriors, BUT he is so unique.

I believe the clear winner this time is Undead of Vikenfell. More and better accessories including alternate AWESOME heads. Just a better product all around.

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and also to subscribe to my YouTube channel, where this review exists in a different form as well as many other reviews including the stats-trouncing Con-exclusive Loyal Subjects CheeBee Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection!

Mythic Legions Gold Knight II Legion Builder- SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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The Store Horsemen had a sale, where some of their overstock was put up with the special “flat shipping” deal. I pretty much only purchased this, however. Almost the cheapest thing they had. But that gold paint was pretty irresistible.

The front of the box…yep. A Mythic Legions box. (They are pretty much all the same.)

But the back is an image I had not seen before. We have this cyclops leading a band of giants. And wouldn’t you know there is a cyclops figure advertised on the left side. He looks pretty cool also.

Here is a little story on the side.

I have two legion builders skeletons, both of different builds. So this is my first knight legion builder. But I DID order the blue knight, who might ship at the beginning of 2025. That guy comes with a ton of accessories, alternate heads, and so much more. He was pricier, but worth it. (I expect anyway.)

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX

  • Gold Knight figure
  • Alternate head
  • Weapons strap
  • Sword
  • Spear
  • Shield

Let me point out that this is the most boring gold knight you could possibly have, and that’s the point.

PICTURED: Gold Knight Legion Builder and Sir Godfrey.

You can see from this picture what I mean. Sir Godfrey…well he is an obvious Knight Templar. I mean, there are three crosses in a row (Helmet, shirt, and shield.). And he has gold details over his terrific chrome paint. While Gold Knight Legion Builder doesn’t even have a design on his shield. But he IS brilliant gold.

ARTICULATION

This is the same figure as Sir Godfrey, but with different paint, and a spear. I am totally tempted to add some paint. And maybe I will one day when it snows or something.

But he is totally posable, and his parts are completely swappable. For display, I am using the round helmet to differentiate these two guys.

PICTURED: Do I really have to name these guys?

I was able to get the Animal Warriors of the Kingdom sword to fit in his hand. That is a pretty thick handle, but his hands are pliable and I don’t feel like I was stretching it. SO MUCH GOLD!

I think this is the third blog entry that I have used this photo. (Cosmic Legions SKURR’GE). But a fight against a giant dragon thing is the perfect setting for two knights.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS GOLD KNIGHT II LEGION BUILDER

I got what I paid for. Sir Godfrey with gold finish and less paint apps. He is meant to be customized. I look forward to doing something with that shield. I look forward to adding rusty colors and battle damage. That is where the fun is. Will I get more knights? Well I keep getting tempted to pick up the black Knight Templar. Maybe I will one day.

SpartanNerd’s rating of Mythic Legions Gold Knight II Legion Builder is 5/5. So much hope for the future here. Hope for fun and photos. Hope for variety and options. and another piece of my barbaric force.

Conan Battle of the Mounds

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

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

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

PACKAGING

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

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

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

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

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

CONAN

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

Conan comes with:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THULSA DOOM

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

Here is what you get with Thulsa Doom:

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

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

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

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

SUBOTAI

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

Here’s what Subotai comes with:

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

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

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

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

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

VALERIA (Spirit)

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

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

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

With Valeria we get…

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

And that’s it. 😦

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS BLOODY WEAPONS SUPER PACK

Here’s what you get with this exclusive pack:

  • Conan Broken Father Sword
  • Conan Atlantean Sword (Bloody)
  • Subotai Spear (Bloody)
  • Subotai Arrow (Bloody)
  • Thulsa Doom Fangs of the Serpent Dagger (Bloody)
  • Subotai Sword (Bloody)
  • Valeria Sword (bloody)
  • Conan Axe (Bloody)
  • Conan Father Sword
Don’t these guys just look better armed with these weapons!

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

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

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF THE BATTLE OF THE MOUNDS SET

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

Here is my rating of each part of the set.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click the link here for a review of the packaging.

KING CONAN PACKAGING VIDEO LINK.

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

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

REVIEW OF THE KING CONAN.

He is just SO EPIC!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE THRONE OF AQUILONIA

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

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

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

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

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

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

The throne works very well for Cobra Commander.

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

How else can you use such an item?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mythic Legions Mysteries of Mythos box- SpartanNerd Action Figure Showdown

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

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

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

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

OPENING THE XYLERNIAN GUARD LEGION BUILDER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OPENING SIR GODFREY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACTION FIGURE SHOWDOWN. WHO WILL WIN?

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

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

SPARTANNERD’S RATINGS

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

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

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

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

More on this photo in my next post!