Tag Archives: Super7 Ultimates!

MASTERVERSE Battle Armor Skeletor

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Watch the YouTube video HERE

The SpartanNerd has been SO SICK. The Type A Flu has done a number on me and the SpartanFamily. So I have been home on these cold, cold days, with no motivation to do anything but sleep. Not much eating. Some TV watching. But the idea of taking action figures down and getting photos of them…as non-intense as that is. The motivation just hasn’t been there. And it is a shame because I have so many nice reviews waiting to happen.

I’ve had Battle Armor Skeletor for awhile. After Christmas break, you know, back to work. And then the flu. I filmed the video unboxing of Skeletor and also The Undead of Vikenfell before Christmas break was over. I can’t say my greatest video. (You can watch that video HERE). But today, January 21, I am determined not to lay around anymore. I’m GOING to do this. And get the review of the Undead of Vikenfell up, and New Eternia Evil-Lyn, and then four other Mythic Legions should be arriving today.

PACKAGING

Once again, the MASTERVERSE packaging is really good. On the front you can see Skeletor very well. Notable that Skeletor’s helmet is kind of loose in my example. A MOC collector might look out for one that is fit on the figure better.

There are illustrations of Skeletor fighting Snake Men along with New Eternia Evil-Lyn, and as you turn the box around you can see an image of King Hiss. Severe hinting that by the end of the year we will have some Snake Men. We already had hints about this with Snout Spout’s diorama…that is kind of a non-sensical thing to include with a firefighter.

The other side has an illustration of Skeletor without the helmet at the top, and standing there holding the battleaxe looking…Reverend SpartanNerd will say BadAss. How else can you put it? Mattel propping up the more barbarian side of Masters of the Universe is terrific, but with Skeletor they could have gone full-on mage. Instead we get the surprising champion, conquerer, victorious, “I dare you to mess with me” version of Skeletor. And I can’t get over all of the completely Death Metal spikes they put on the helmet and the armor. What a terrific redesign!

As usual, I do not like what they are doing with the backs of the new packages. They are showing us a photoshopped picture of the toy, and they have done things like airbrushed out the seams on the thigh-cuts, etc. Little windows on the side show the features of the figure, and this figure is in berserk mode swinging the axe and the sword. There is cross-sell on the bottom, this time featuring Man-O-War, Sorceress Teela, New Eternia Mer-Man, and the Battle Armor Skeletor that you already have. I own all of these now except for Man-O-War, and just don’t care for him much.

FIGURE REVIEW

Here’s what you get in the package

  • Skeletor figure
  • Removable horned (and spiked!) helmet
  • Battle Axe
  • Scimitar
  • Alternate battle-damaged armor plate.

Skeletor has the three-toed monster feet with boot cuts. Think about that for a minute…this means that these shoes were tailored specifically for his specialized feet. Depending on your view, this is awesome or ridiculous. (I’m leaning towards awesome)

There is a chain mail loin cloth that looks like soft goods, but it is sculpted plastic. He didn’t come with any alternate hands, but now I have five Skeletor figures PLUS King Keldor, so if I need an alternate hands I have them. Both hands are gripping hands that rotate and have hinges, and probably he is usually going to be holding weapons..

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revolution King Keldor opens a portal to his home dimension, summoning his people through the portal. (This is a remix of the old miniternia story). The two Skeletor figures in the portal are both New Eternia Skeletor figures. (Viking and Throne)

His head sculpt is just a little bit too jolly for my taste. It looks good, and the chain mail skullcap is a very nice touch. The jolly-ness comes from the smile along with the pointed chin and pointed cheek bones. Definitely more of a smile than a grimace. This is an articulated jaw, but it has limited mobility and opening the mouth doesn’t help much. As it is, I prefer the Alcala inspired head that came with the Havoc Throne. (There is some opinion that that head looks too much like a chimp skull. I say those people need to go back and look at the source material.)

PICTURED: New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor with New Eternia Skeletor (Havoc Throne) hoodless head, wearing the helmet.

The shoulder pauldrons might be removable. I can’t tell and am not willing to force it. A customizer can probably do a lot with this. I love how there are these spikes on the shoulder. Blood Bowl anyone?

You don’t have to remove the armor to swap the scratch plate. It easily pops out and then you can easily replace it by slotting it in behind that little skull emblem on his chest. I did eventually remove the armor out of curiosity, and the whole thing structure reminds you of the armor power up you can get in a game of DOOM. There is also a girdle of armor protecting his hips. And this is also removable.

I believe they learned from their mistakes with the two Battle Armor He-Man figures we have been given, and perfectly addressed concerns with those.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revolution Battle Armor He-Man battles MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor.

ACCESSORIES

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto
Mythic Legions Legion Builder Skeleton
MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms

The helmet is really one of the things that was the biggest draw for getting this figure. It is what caught my eye first. I was a big fan of that helmet that came with MOTUC Panthor, but there were a lot of critics of that. I say “WHY?” Horned helmets are awesome, and Battle Cat has a helmet…Panthor should too. In Skeletor’s case here, he is given something the character has never had before in his normal context. He always has a hood. He might be bare-skull occasionally. There is Skele-God from the Revelation cartoon, and the golden god Skeletor from the movie (more of a spiky headdress), but these don’t look so metal. I say this because this helmet adds a lot to Battle Armor Skeletor as a character. Anyone remember “Molar?” This was the Eternian Dentist from the Robot Chicken skit. Mattel gave us a figure of Molar with an accompanying Skeletor, and that figure was missing a tooth. It took no time for people to put that head on MOTUC Battle Armor Skeletor and add some effects to create an awesome kitbash.

This is what I am talking about. OAFE.Net

This horned helmet does something similar to the character of Battle Armor Skeletor. It doesn’t “snap” on…it fits loosely. But you can put it on many other figure’s heads because of this loose nature. It has curled horns that would belong on Panthor or on the Havoc Staff, and spikes up the middle for even better effect. Skeletor wears this way better than Super7 Ultimates! Black Falcon. (His non-removable helmet has spikes up the middle and Viking horns.)

The Battle Axe is one of the best battle axes. I like how it is large and epic. It has that asymmetrical nature like Snout Spouts that we can tell where the main business end is. It has wraps around the handle also, and is well painted, and once again LARGE. It’s true that Revolution Battle Armor He-Man’s axe is spectacular chrome paint, but it is smaller and doesn’t bring that well-used patina. And yes, I am being picky.

This is some of my battle axes. Lines represented: MASTERVERSE, Super7 Ultimates!, Animal Warriors of the Kingdom, and Mythic Legions.

The Scimitar is different than other curved swords we have in MASTERVERSE. It feels like more basic of a weapon than the battle axe, but has a deadly and savage feel, as opposed to say what we got with Fisto. (This is the same scimitar that came with the first New Eternia Skeletor (Viking) but in a black and silver color scheme.)

PICUTURED: Curved sword collection. Bottom to top: Mythic Legions Undead of Vikenfell (review coming soon), MASTERVERSE Revelation King Grayskull, MASTERVERSE Revelation Merman, MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor (Viking and Battle Armor)

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MASTERVERSE NEW ETERNIA BATTLE ARMOR SKELETOR

Not only does Skeletor excel in all 5 areas I check for, (sculpt, paint, articulation, accessories, and significance), Mattel has built on knowledge of making two less-successful Battle Armor He-Man figures. He has all of their strengths, but none of their weaknesses.

So he gets a 5/5. Do I have any complaints? Skeletor feels like he needs to have the Havoc Staff. You might argue that the helmet IS the Havoc Staff, and with recent comic book stories it seems like his skull gets melded with it or something. So perhaps that’s what is happening here? And then that face sculpt is just a little bit too happy for me. But that is offset by the sheer Slayer-ness of the rest of the presentation, plus it is backed by a chain mail skullcap. I can’t mark off for that.

So the SpartanNerd’s rating of MASTERVERSE New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor is 5/5. AND, if you watched the video, you know I have to declare a winner between this figure and The Undead of Vikenfell. Stay tuned!

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.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto-SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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Follow the SpartanNerd on YouTube. Click Here!

Fisto…Total FOMO.

I didn’t have Fisto as a kid. BUT, the character has always resonated with me. A guy with a huge prosthetic fist. That is a cool power! And that it is a metal tank of a weapon.

Back to the FOMO. When they released the Masters of the Universe Classics version, he was one of the first that you had to order online only, and like no one got him. Matty Collector crashed, and just like that. Bots or something snatched them all up when the site came back online, and just like that, all of them were sold.

The MOTUC version was REALLY COOL. He looked awesome, with some 200x flare, which was unusual for the time in the life of the MOTUC line, and also he came with this huge Final Fantasy VII kind of sword….Just an extra incredible detail. And I think that sword was designed for 200x but didn’t ship or something?

And so after-market MOTUC Fisto is a very high priced toy. Then they came out with a kind of lame version for Masterverse Revelation. What a letdown.

When they showed off this new Fisto, I was shocked and completely knew I would be getting it. No regrets this time.

Or are there? Keep reading, Hub City Geeks!

PACKAGING

Fisto comes in this awesome package, this time showing off some cartoon baddies not often seen. These are the orcs from the mini comic “Masks of Power,” where these little monster guys put on the masks and turn into big monsters. This mini comic was the pack-in with Fisto, and so it is a nice homage on the box. It would be TOTALLY AWESOME if they gave us these orcs sometime in the future. And why not? They are doing Skelcons.

The sides also show some of this action, with one panel featuring He-Man throwing one of the bad guys. There are also some notable flying enemies.

The back of course features a photoshop of the toy.

It is a cool addition to the story that he has bonded with the “mystical Iron Fist” in his bio. The three images on the cross sell art…I am passing on Flying Fists He-Man. Never been a fan. And this is the same bad face treatment as Thunder Punch He-Man had. Big Bad Toy Store has charged me for Evil-Lyn, but she hasn’t shipped yet. I expect she might be here before the end of the week. (What is it with me and Evil-Lyn? This will be number 3.)

One more thing. Inside the package is a little bag for his accessories, and I think this is the first time we have this specific style of baggie.

It features the modern font for Masters of the Universe in black over blue.

FISTO FIGURE REVIEW

Here’s what you get in the box

  • Fisto figure
  • Alternate vintage-style head
  • Alternate left hand (fist)
  • Curved sword (cutless?)
  • Battle hammer

The head that comes on him out of the box is an older, more wizened portrait with gray details on his beard, especially coming down from the “soul patch” to the goatee. There is also a mask that reminds me of something from She-Ra. That mask is not removable. He also has a top-knot ponytail.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Man-At-Arms and Fisto.

The second head is the classic Fisto portrait. Younger and what you expect.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE Revelation Sorceress, New Eternia Fisto, and their daughter Teela (this is a mash-up Teela) I am following the 200x story here, where Fisto and Sorceress are deadbeat parents and Man-At-Arms has to raise her.
PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto rides on Mythic Legions Boreus. It just seems right to have Fisto ride on a horse. This is because he is often pictured riding Stridor, who we don’t have a proper MASTERVERSE version of yet.

This arm is also what is different. Fisto not only has a metal fist, but now for New Eternia has a whole robotic arm. This reminds me of the whole “techno-virus” story angle from the pre-ternia mini comics and more recently from the Revolution cartoon. In other words, watch out. Perhaps Fisto can be easily controlled by the likes of Motherboard and Skeletek.

ACCESSORIES

This is a character where the accessories and the figure kind of run together. The battle hammer has modular business ends. That spike looks like it could do some damage, or at least bust up some ice. The other “dome” end is similar to Man-At-Arms weapon. Now these two pieces can be swapped out. You could just have half a hammer, or you could remove Fisto’s metal fist and swap it with one of the hammer heads.

The other accessory is the purple “cutless.” Not a giant buster sword. BOO! This was a missed opportunity, Mattel! As a weapon on its own without that context, it is just fine. I think it might be a copy of the one that comes with New Eternia Jitsu, (which I don’t have…Maybe I should get?)

SPARTANNERD’S RATING OF NEW ETERNIA FISTO

The sculpt looks good. The paint looks great, with two heads for different looks taking that piece beyond the expected. I DO think the fist might be just a little bit too small (Beast Man, Snout Spout, and Ram Man have similar sized hands.) The accessories are fine even though I wish it came with an anime sword…but this can’t figure in to the rating. It is novel that you can swap the hammer heads with the fist, and as a bonus, Trap Jaw’s parts (and Roboto’s?) can also go with Fisto. And already the pirate hook looks cool, if just a little bit rustier of a finish.

PICTURED: MASTERVERSE New Eternia Fisto and Trap Jaw

And also importantly, he represents another good guy to go with the inferior force that the SpartanNerd has. (Still missing, Stratos, Buzz-Off, Extendar, Rio Blast, Roboto, Moss Man, Prince Adam, King Randor, and Queen Marlena. Yes, some of these exist but not in a proper form. OK, Zoar also.) As a contrast, I have every important bad guy represented except for Modulok and Cobra Kahn. OK, Screech. The Snake Men should be coming out soon in MASTERVERSE, at least there have been hints.

So with great sculpt, paint, accessories, no problems along the QC area or with articulation, and that he represents something special to the SpartanNerd, he gets a 5/5. We start the new year off with a bang of a punch.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Valeria (Spirit), MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mekaneck, and Fisto. We all know that Mekaneck had it coming…

Do you agree or disagree, Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments! Also check out the SpartanNerd’s new video content on YouTube.

SpartanNerd Blog- Best (and worst) of 2024

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I actually did this one as a YouTube video first! So you can check that out here, or keep reading for practically the same content.

I’m not ranking these. They are all great! Someone on here might have gotten a 4/5, but over time have grown to be among the top. So no haters…OK!

FIGURA OBSCURA Father Christmas (review link)

After taking off the red and white costume, and putting it in the terrific packaging for storage until Thanksgiving or Christmas In July…(or maybe some other reason, who knows?) you have a generic elf knight body that you can continue to use all year. YAY!

Cosmic Legions SSKURR’GE (Whiplash homage) (review link)

This thing is just great! Amazing sculpt and green paint. He fits the MOTU need for Whiplash very well. It is just too bad that neither head that he came with really looks like Whiplash. I can find a customized version out there, or maybe eventually something will come out that will work.

Super7 ULTIMATES! King Conan (review link)

I could have put any of my Conan action figures here. I chose the king because he is really different…one of the most “clothed” versions of the character. I could have thrown Thulsa Doom in here easily, though. I have him holding the axe (in the video) from the Battle of the Mounds Conan, just because I like my Conan figures to hold an axe 75% of the time!

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Snout Spout (review link)

I almost passed on this. He was available for so long, and I kept waffling. Then I finally pulled the trigger on the Mattel Creations purchase and I am glad I did. He is HUGE. And that sculpt doesn’t look anything like a “sad Dumbo.” I had the chance over the weekend to pick up the 200x Staction version, but this version is better simply because it is an action figure. It’s true the Four Horsemen sculpt is better, but this MASTERVERSE version takes design cues from that and is superior in articulation and accessories.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Mekaneck (review link)

You can see that my Mekaneck has more neck than he came with stock. I’ll get to the reason why later…

Mekaneck is just great. That we got all of those neck joints…great! His paint is flashy and his armor is just right. And how they are presenting him story wise is also different, with him now taking on underwater responsibilities, getting him away from just “reconnaissance,” as if that wasn’t important. (reconnaissance is VERY IMPORTANT, Hub City Geeks). And that he fills the essential role of Mekaneck in the lineup of heroes is also very nice.

Cosmic Legions Wal-Torr the Mad and T.U.5.C.C. Pilot (review link)

Hey. My list and my rules. I am including Carolina and Clemson on this one! Both have terrific sculpt, paint, and accessories. AND if I was rich I might army build these guys.

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Skeletor’s Throne (review link)

I could have considered Conan’s throne or Boreus (the horse at the top with Santa) as Diorama pieces, but Skeletor’s Throne is the best. It generally sits in the middle of the bad guys, and any of the many versions of Skeletor that I have can fit well on it.

WHO ELSE SHOULD I HAVE INCLUDED IN MY VIDEO? Probably Snake Sorceress Teela, (who I call the Green Goddess.) (review link)

NOW FOR THE WORST OF THE YEAR. (review link)

MASTERVERSE New Eternia Sy-Clone

Remember when I had more necks for Mekaneck? That’s because Mattel Q.C. Sent me another copy of him to atone for the missing mask on Sy-Clone. Mattel didn’t bring us a product that matched past versions…no lenticular sticker on the chest like the vintage one, no ring on his back like the 200x and Classics version. What was supposed to be new and different was that mask. They included these fire effects that can fit on the shield or on his wrists, and they are cool, but they should be IN ADDITION not in place of. He just feels uninspired to me, and with the missing mask, I feel this figure is one of the lowest of the year.

MASTERVERSE Movie Beast Man (review link)

Ugh.

He looks like the salesman for beef jerky or the Geico caveman. He doesn’t look like the movie representation. They should have gone with rooted hair and more of a Grizzlor approach to have done him right. Now we probably won’t get another version of this in the next 15 or 20 years. And that makes this an extra bummer. The design choices of making those hair-mats out of plastic armor pieces…I hope we don’t see those again. And that armor is kind of crappy. And the face sculpt is off. I hate to be negative, but WHY? Probably has to do with rights, etc.

SO DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, HUB CITY GEEKS? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS! Also, please support the new YouTube video formats coming for 2025.

Boreus-Mythic Legions Horse…SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review

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I have been eyeing getting a Mythic Legions horse for awhile. I’ve seen them in stores and conventions for around $80, and they are a large item seemingly worth all that. You start to get into issues of “do I have enough room?” Etc. And there are a few different ones. I’ve seen a brown one, for instance, and the Headless Horseman comes with a scary black horse with red eyes. There’s an undead one, and one with batwing ears. There are a few other animals, one a moose, and a bear coming out next year, There’s a centaur, and also a skeletal horse next year.

But at his heart, the SpartanNerd wants to be economical. And on Cyber Monday this year (2024) Boreus was on sale at Storehorsemen for $55.

I was purchasing the Figura Obscura Father Christmas and started to look around for what else I might want,,,I considered the Ghost of Christmas Past, but at $60 and a buy-in to the Scrooge ecosystem, (‘cause you know I couldn’t only have one, Jacob Marley, the other two ghost, probably eventually Scrooge), I decided to skip that for now anyway, even though she is exceptional.

I started looking at other offerings, and there were other things that seemed like a good opportunity to buy. But seeing Boreus at $55, a gray horse that could be used by anyone, This was too good to pass up. On top of that, I received a Cosmic Legions ashcan comic for my double order.

This is the ashcan Cosmic Legions comic on top of the Father Christmas packaging. Not much story-wise here, but a cool item with sketch drawings and panels without dialogue.

So how is Boreus? Keep reading!

PACKAGING

Boreus comes in a large box with a large window, where you can see everything inside, which includes the horse with saddle, bridle, etc already on, and an extra “flowing” mane for added action.

Unfortunately in box there is unsightly plastic around straps holding him in. This is to protect the paint, but for a MIB collector this is unfortunate. That doesn’t describe me, but I thought it important to point out.

Here are the sides of the box

One side shows the aforementioned horse with bat ears, but has Boreus bio. It turns out that Mythic Legions horses are spiritual beings (think Torrent from Elden Ring). This is a cool thing, and this bio gives even more life to this horse. The other side shows the aforementioned moose. All this terrific art is by Nate Baertsch,

Here is the back…

The top cross sell is Duban the Ranger…this is the supposed owner of Boreus. A figure I haven’t seen except in a promo photo.

A big epic image, showing the shiva-like main villain, some demon guy, and a couple of other evil characters. I actually own the Xylernian guard, and so that is something rare for the SpartanNerd in reference to Mythic Legions. That other text is general Mythic Legions story, which itself is vague.

There is a very nice backdrop that I actually have used already in the nerd closet.

BOREUS FIGURE REVIEW

It’s a horse, sculpted and designed by The Four Horsemen. As such, it is very similar to MOTUC Battle Cat. In fact, I think it has exactly the same articulation besides the articulated jaw on the tiger.

So it has a neck that goes up and down, and a head that has up and down, side to side motion. The front legs havc a shoulder and knee joint…these are back and forward. The hooves are rockers.

The back legs have some spread on the hips. The legs are jointed the same as in real life, and once again the hooves are rockers.

The tail is on a ball joint and is fully articulated.

Unfortunately, Boreus can’t lower his head low enough to drink.

I’ll point out that my Battle cat is secondary market and over ten years old. So his joints are loose, especially the head and neck. Boreus joints are nice and tight, and the hooves have a ratchet, which makes it easy to have him rear up for a pose.

ACCESSORIES

The saddle and bridle are nice pieces of work, with plastic stirrups and also loops to store weapons. (The same loops that Battle Cat’s saddle has).

The reign is liberal, and feels to be real leather. It fits in gripping hands with no problems.

This saddle is removable, but I don’t have a reason to remove it. It doesn’t have a strap belt across his belly that undoes…instead you would have to make the legs straight and the move the head down with hairpieces removed, and then slide it over the head. I haven’t done this and have no pics of it, but it can be done if they ever release more saddles. Also notable, the bedroll on the back of the saddle is swappable with another bedroll, if you ever somehow get one. (Maybe a different horse has a different color one.)

The only other accessory is the mane, which is easily removed and swapped. Now the unexpected nuance of this is that the horse also has a “toupee” that is removable, and allows the hair to layer over the bridle how you would like.

PICTURED: Super7 Ultimates! King Conan holding the axe from Battle of the Mounds Conan. The king rides on Mythic Legions Boreus, who has the Sword of Atlantis mounted on the saddle. MASTERVERSE Revelations Scareglow leads Mythic Legions Skeleton Legion builders in the attack.

THE ART OF BOREUS

PICTURED: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat, who is evidently entranced by the evil Super7 Ultimates! Battle of the Mounds Thulsa Doom, jousting against Mythic Legions Boreus and Mythic Legions Gold Knight II Legion Builder. Thulsa Doom is armed with the Bident that came with Super7 Ultimates! Black Falcon, and Gold Knight is armed with a spear from the Animal Warriors of the Kingdom Red Weapons loot. (Link to the similar gold version) My money’s on Thulsa Doom for this one…

Boreus is great. He is just so fun to photograph. He is this generic gray or flat black color, so he could be anyone’s horse. He is billed as “Duban the Ranger’s” horse, itself a cool figure, but above you can see that Gold Knight Legion Builder really pops.

Check out this cuteness.

PICTURED: Mashup of MASTERVERSE Revelation Evil-Lyn and Figura Obscura Father Christmas, feeding Mythic Legions Boreus.

This totally works.

PICTURED: Figura Obscura Father Christmas, leading Mythic Legions Boreus.

A Mythic Legions horse is just…it is the most useful item. And this sculpt…

Earlier I mentioned that I had thought about getting one for awhile. Some of my hangup is that there are toy horses out there for much cheaper. Like…at the dollar store kind of thing. Even Barbie horses are cheaper.

But you want to get the scale right, and you want a quality product. Boreus is a CHUNK of plastic, and there just is none better that the Four Horsemen sculpting any toys out there. I did see a McFarlane Gunslinger Spawn on a horse at GameStop for around $50 sometime in the past year. The workers advised me that it would probably go on clearance soon, and I haven’t seen it since. Now I am curious to compare the two…maybe I will.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF MYTHIC LEGIONS BOREUS

I don’t have any complaints. So let’s look for something to complain about…

Crickets….

OK. So he can’t lower his head low enough to drink. There’s one. If you look at him from above and the back legs are kicked out to the side, there is a lot of daylight around the joints and tail.

Really. That’s it. I had to dig deep for that last one. OK…the plastic around his neck in package was unsightly. Boreus doesn’t lose any points for these!

SCULPT: Superior

ARTICULATION: Superior

POSABILITY: Superior

USABILITY: Superior

SPARTANNERD HAPPINESS: Superior!

I award Mythic Legions Boreus 5/5, and he is going to be celebrated as one of the best of the year for me. Furthermore, I am CONVINCED to get the Headless Horseman.

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

Action Figure Showdown- SpartanNerd Review of Wal-Torr the Mad and Cosmic Legion T.U.5.C.C Pilot

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It’s Rivalry Week, and in South Carolina, this means CAROLINA vs clemson (not a typo). The Gamecocks are poised to take out the Tigers this year, by a great margin. And oh satisfying will that be! But this blog is a review of toys, so…

I picked up Wal-Torr the Mad on a special sale (the same sale I got the Ogre Scale Accessory Pack). This was an item I had my eye on but waffled…There is a traditional fantasy Mythic Legions version, and then there is this Cosmic Legions space version. So space toy vs. fantasy toy.

Ultimately, after looking at the photos awhile on the internet, I decided the space version was the best, even if it was hideous orange.

But the presentation was adorable…the skull headed spaceman looking at a flower in a setting reminiscent of Mars. It looked like some kind of familiar scene somehow.

And I already have some of the parts in the Mythic Legions version, while the only Cosmic Legion I have is the SSKUR’GE ogre scale figure. So I jumped in…and glad I did.

BUT…that isn’t all of this story, is it? I went to the Toy Federation in Greer, SC one day just for some spontaneous shopping. And behold…they had a copy of this same figure but in a glorious Garnet color scheme. The T.U.5.C.C. Pilot (that is an annoying name to type) is the same basic idea, but instead of being a named character he is an army builder. Army builders are a tad cheaper than “legendary” creatures, so I paid the same price for both of these figures (just from different sources.)

Let’s examine the packages first.

PACKAGING FACE-OFF

Both packages have a nice window box. Wal-Torr’s is more orange nebula, and Pilot’s is more space purple. (So unfortunate colors to have together.)

Both have faction symbols in the top corner, but I don’t know anything about what they mean. You can see the alternate headsculpts easily. One of the big mysteries for me when I first got Wal-Torr was…what really is going on? He has this helmeted alien head, but then he has this human skull. So many questions! But those questions were answered when I saw the alternate head sculpt of the Pilot. Wal-Torr is supposed to be an homage to a real human, and the other is what kind of alien he is. I get it (I guess). I don’t know much about it, but perhaps Walter Hagen is big into skeletons…seems like an awesome guy then! (Walter Hagen is the leader of the Mythic Legions Cabal fan group.)

Wal-Torr’s box features a nice illustration of”hologram” on the bottom. Important that it shows the collar option.
The back of Wal-Tor’s package. Perhaps this is the planet he is on or from.

The back of both boxes feature cross-sell images from the rest of their respective Cosmic Legions wave.

Both have nice art on the side, both with a bit of a Bio.

Wal-Torr’s bio
I really like this graphic.
Can anyone decipher this?
The front of T.U.5.C.C. Pilot’s package. His hologram importantly shows the hoses.
I don’t know what kind of ship he pilots. Is this it in the corner right of the package back?

T.U.5.C.C. Pilot Bio
Outpost Zaxxius information

I actually appreciate some of the vagueness of the bios and packaging. Maybe that’s Wal-Torr’s home planet? Maybe this is the T.U.5.C.C. Pilot’s ship? Who knows. Maybe this is all artistic technobabble. I’m good with that.

There is one new backdrop. Wal-Torr comes with a background that I haven’t had, while T.U.5.C.C. Pilot comes with a smaller version of what SSKUR’GE came with.

This is the backdrop. A space scene. I am showing you a photoshop work screen. It is stretched and there is some “spot healing.” I’ll make it super-usable yet.

One more thing about the packaging. Both contained this message, and also a little tray of pegs. At first I thought “What is this? Ammo?” They CAN stand in for ammo. But the intention is that they be mounting pegs. That they are translucent is a nice bonus…translucent works great in science fiction, right?

Somehow I didn’t get a photo of T.U.S.C.C. Pilot in his blister. But I assure you readers, it was comparable to Wal-Torr’s.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE PACKAGING?

Let’s start with Wal-Torr

  • Wal-Torr figure in terrible urrnje coloring.
  • Two options for a head (alien helmet and skull)
  • Astronaut Space-Suit helmet, which is a collar and bubble
  • Backpack
  • Sci-Fi rifle
  • Sci-Fi pistol
  • Another piece of gear (can be a couple of different things)
  • Map hologram
  • Translucent pegs (that can be ammo)
  • Back adapters
  • Shield
  • Hose
  • Seven (!) pairs of hands. Notably human hands…

So much here, it takes a few photos to capture it all.

This shield comes apart…you could trade pieces if you had more than one.

What about the T.U.5.C.C. Pilot? (GO GAMECOCKS!)

You get…

  • T.U.S.C.C. Pilot figure in glorious Garnet.
  • Two head sculpt options, both aliens, one helmeted and the other weird and blue unhelmeted.
  • Space collar
  • Armor pieces
  • Backpack parts (you can see that I assembled these together.
  • Sci-Fi Rifle
  • Sci-Fi Pistol
  • Multi-purpose weapons part
  • Map hologram
  • Translucent pegs (that can be ammo)
  • pair of alternate hands, (notably three fingered alien hands)
  • Two hoses

As above, it takes more photos to show it all off.

You can remove the bubble from the helmet to get a better look at the “face” on both figures.

There are a lot of similarities here. They have the same exact guns. Wal-Torr wins the accessory battle because he comes with a shield and all those hands. WOW. I figure that they included all of these because they won’t ever issue them in this color again probably. While the pilot’s hands could go on anyone (being black gloved alien fingers).

BUT…You get a lot of options with T.U.5.C.C. Pilot also. Perhaps making the shoulder wings into a backpack was an unintended use…but it’s my toys…I get to play with them! (Thank you, Rob Base!)

Both have the same sculpt in some ways, but different in others. Pilot has sculpted slacks and upper sleeves, while Wal-Torr’s body is fully armored. Both have the same torso with a fan sculpted on the chest. Pilot’s cover’s his up when wearing that collar. Wal-Torr’s backpack was actually one of the intriguing sculpted elements that caught my attention in pictures. I didn’t realize it was a backpack until I had the figure in hand, however.

The hose with Wal-Torr creates questions. Where is it supposed to go? The two hoses with Pilot seem very purposeful. In the photo above, I only realized right before taking it that there were holes in the collar for it.

Their guns are the same with different colors. And there is that other little piece. Is it a scope sight? Is it a laser for the wrists? Is it a magazine or power supply? I guess it’s up to your imaginination…it can be all of those things.

The hologram is the same for both figures, only Wal-Torr’s is a more pleasing blue shade and Pilot’s is grayish. (If you read enough, you know this must be the five rings of the cosmerium or something like that.)

A big problem with the Wal-Torr figure…that space helmet doesn’t snap on. The collar sits loosely. The bubble snaps on to the collar just fine, but the collar is the problem.

The space helmet fits on Man-At-Arms exactly as good as it does on Wal-Torr. Not great. It looks good on him, though.

BUT…that skull head is a great thing. It is missing a tooth, providing options for me to display other skeleton warriors. And it has an articulated jaw.

This is what the New Eternia Skeletor looks like with the skull swapped out. I prefer Skeletor to have some color in his face, rather than being a boring normal skull. Notice that this head is loose on the MASTERVERSE peg.
Perhaps Black Falcon is telling his carrier pigeon to go poop on Demistros‘ limo!

SHOWDOWN…WHO WILL WIN?!

First of all, you all know I am going to be unbiased…(totally)

T.U.5.C.C. Pilot drops in, ready to spray down Wal-Tor with his awesome garnet ammunition. Wal-Torr makes good use of his shield but can’t rightly aim with his pistol in the face of heavy fire.
Quickly thinking about his high school varsity level sled training, Wal-Torr bucks up with that shield and knocks T.U.5.C.C. Pilot LaNorris Sellers back.
Far outclassing his opponent in physicality and skill, our glorious garnet Gamecock is able to chin-kick the hideously colored Clemson opponent.
The Tigers are done for as Wal-Torr is unable to recover from his nimble opponent’s reverse!

Yep. I say I believe the Cosmic Legions T.U.5.C.C. Pilot is the winner here based on his paint job. Now…It is true I don’t like that Clemson orange, but the details on the Pilot really pop with shiny metallic details. I believe mostly Wal-Torr is molded in orange plastic and then washed with a darker shade, while the Pilot has attention to detail that out does him. Now I believe Wal-Torr has better accessories and more adaptability with that skull head. But the amount of variation you can get from T.U.5.C.C. Pilot is greater. The skull head is kind of puzzling, but the blue alien head is a new sculpt that resolves some of the mystery about who these aliens are. And besides. GO GAMECOCKS.

SPARTANNERD RATING OF COSMIC LEGIONS WAL-TORR THE MAD AND T.U.5.C.C. PILOT

I give both figures a 5/5. Great fun! Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

NOTE: On November 30, 2024, the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Clemson Tigers 17-14. My prediction came true!