It’s always interesting to see people go back and reimagine the vintage MOTU figures from a more modern perspective. What GAR has done in the case of this vintage Snout Spout custom is to not only rethink the character, but he has also stayed true to the aesthetic of the original series from the 80’s. You really don’t see people appropriate the body from the Extendar figure in customs that often, but in this case, it’s a perfect fit. Nice use of that Optimus Prime axe from the new Animated figures, too!
I’ve been working on it for a long time and I never was satisfied with the colors I gave him (metallic, bronze, gold, black etc). Tried every combination, until it sunk in that the orange/red/blue from the original actually suit him best.
The idea behind this custom was that I’ve always felt that Snout Spout was too skinny. For an elephant his body was laughable and I’ve always imagined what he would be like if he was more bulky. When I found a head- and handless Extendar at a flea market, I figured I’d put the two together. That was definitely more like it.
In what will hopefully be the first of a regular series of blog entries in which I highlight some of my personal favorite pieces from my collection, I have chosen to look at one of the coolest, my vintage-style MOTU anthropomorphic Panthor figure from the guys at COTU. This particular piece was primarily done by Galaxy Warrior from said collective and is fully flocked and maintains all of the articulation of a vintage MOTU figure. He also came with an additional baby Panthor cub, which is very cool. Due to very unfortunate circumstances, COTU no longer works together as an artistic collective. They have, however, left us with an incredible body of work (like this figure!) to remember them by.
As I said before, this one-off custom is one of my personal favorite pieces in my collection. He really looks like what this figure would have looked like had Mattel made one back in the 80’s. The paint and flock apps are impeccably clean, and he’s surprisingly sturdy for a custom of this level of complexity. All in all, it’s an amazing piece from concept to execution.
Although it’s obviously been quiet for quite some time, the COTU blog is a great resource for much of the body of their work. Check it out here.
I’m sure that I’ve probably written about this before, but for many of us who collected Masters of the Universe as kids, some of our most fondly remembered figures were not officially made by Mattel, but were rather from one of the many knockoff lines of the day. I can still clearly recall the being a kid and seeing the shelves of K-Mart being lined with those odd looking Warrior Beasts and Galaxy Warriors whose packaging boasted “Compatible with all 5 1/2″ action figures!”. Interestingly enough, many of these seemingly ghetto knockoffs were actually just as well made as Mattel’s figures and are now just as highly if not even more sought after!
Many of the members of the He-Man.org customizing community have taken it upon themselves to bring many of those great characters from those knockoff lines to the 21st Century by creating MOTUC versions of them. He-Mike is one such member, and he has recently posted these images of Tiger-Man, originally from the Galaxy Warriors line, to the message boards. I love the way that, much like the Four Horsemen are doing with the MOTUC figures, he has taken the classic figure and given him an update, but kept most of the charm of the classic figure. This even includes that slightly oversized head!
In the totally coincidental spirit of the Chinese New Year, I present:
Tiger-Man: Galaxy Warrior
At first I didn’t have any arm or leg stripes like the original figure, but after a while he looked too much like Beastman. The head is just a bit big for the hairy buck, but that’s fine with me the tiger as head on the original figure was also a bit big. I like to keep a bit of the wonkyness that made those figures so neat.
Today’s the day, kids! That Trap Jaw that you’ve been drooling over since SDCC last year can finally be yours. Oh, yeah, and there’s also that fully articulated MOTUCBattle Cat! My prediction is that Trap Jaw is going to sell out in record time due to the time that, since he can be turned into a Kronis figure, using the alt head and arm that he comes with, he’s essentially two figures in one.
Yesterday, at Toy Fair in New York, Mattel unveiled quite a bit of new MOTUC stuff. Some of it was insanely exciting, some of it was, frankly, cringe-worthy (and that’s saying a lot when you’re talking MOTU!). The reveal that impressed me the most was the new Whiplash figure that they showed, complete with alt 200x-accurate head. Additionally, Count Marzo will finally be getting his first action figure likeness, as well as a super cool new MOTUCShe-Ra with both 80’s toy accurate and cartoon accurate heads. It was also announced that Keldor will be a “bonus” quarterly figure that will essentially be an variant of Skeletor in much the same way that Battle Armor He-Man was a variant of He-Man. A really big suprise, however, was that there will be an official release of Gygor, the giant yellow ape figure that never made it off of the drawing board of the original line.
Additionally, this sweet rotocasted giant Tytus figure will see reloease this year as another bonus figure. The intertubes are abuzz with controversey over the fact that he’s not going to be quite as large as the vintage version of the figure. But, what can you do? All in all a pretty cool re-design. Also, at Tytus’s feet, you can see pieces from what will be a bonus “Weapons Pack” that will feature additional weapons and accessories for your figures in alternate colors.
And then there’s this thing. It was announced that one of the MOTUC exclusives for SDCC this year will be this tow pack, featuring Skeletor (with a missing tooth) and Mo-Larr, the Eternian Dentist. Whatever. I’m all for poking fun at MOTU, but I always felt that the Robot chicken Mo-Larr sketch was honestly pretty lame. Here it is, in case you’ve never seen it:
Also worth noting is that Mattel unveiled a second DCUC vs. MOTUC 2 pack that will feature Skeletor vs. Lex Luthor. The comic-style recolor of Skeletor is pretty cool, but in general, the whole thing is pretty “meh” for me. It will, however, get MOTUC on the shelves of Toys R Us. So, I suppose that’s cool.
All images stolen from the good people at ASM, check out all of their MOTUCToy Fair pics here.
Continuing what is becoming an unintentionally arachnid-centric week of MOTUcustoms at Nerd City is this sweet Black Widower MOTUCcustom by Masterenglish. It’s cool to see such a simple, yet effective repaint done by someone who has mad sculpting/ customizing skills. The moral of the story? Sometimes a well executed repaint color scheme can be every bit as impressive as complexly resculpted custom figure. Also, stuff like this should show Mattel that there is still great potential for more original characters that are repaints of existing figures (much like Stinkor and Moss Man back in the 80’s).
I don’t understand the German language. Like, at all. I do, however, like to occasionally frequent the custom figure section on the great GermanMOTU fan site, PlanetEternia.de. One of the customizers who always seems to have cool stuff posted goes by the name “Brachy”. This particular creation of his, “Brachypelma” (maybe the name would make more sense if I knew German?) was so cool that I just had to share it here.
The base of the figure is clearly the Leech Mini Statue from NECA along with some bits from either a NECA or MOTUCWebstor. The remainder, however, was all hand sculpted in Fimo. And, if Babelfish has served me correctly, there is nearly 50 hours of work that has been put into the sculpting/painting of this guy.
So, yes, this is a very cool looking customMOTUC figure by He-Mike of the He-Man.org forums. The level of qulality and attention to detail in He-Mike’s work never ceases to amaze me, and this figure is no exception. But, do you know where it’s from?
During the height of the original Masters of the Universe line, the Monogram model company made these snap together model kits based on popular vehicles from the line that were aimed at a slightly older demographic. I never had any of these. I do however, clearly remember standing in the toy isle and trying to figure out a. why there were new versions of some of these vehicles and b. who the heck was that guy on the box who was driving the Roton?
Obviously, like a lot of MOTU stuff from those days, the identity of the guy in the box art was never dealt with. These days, most people just see him as a cool character design that would have made a great figure. That’s where He-Mike and his version of this guy for the MOTUC line comes in.
So, I honestly know absolutely F.A. about 3-D rendering software. I apologize if I’ve mislead you to believe that I do. What I do know, however, is that I really really like this design for a NECA Staction-style statue by Battle Brak from the He-Man.org message boards. Apparently, his design is based upon an image of a design that The Four Horsemen were working on and can be seen on one of the 200X MOTU cartoon dvds.
The design is in a sort of limbo at the moment, as Battle Brak has taken a break from working on it for a bit. He does, however, intend to finish it eventually. And, he’s going to get it produced on one of those 3-D printers. Battle Brak did all of the design on Spikor in 3-D Studio Max and zBrush.
So this is awesome. David Tootheay, a member of the He-Man.org message boards, recently unveiled a project that he was working on that features a rebuilt MOTUCScareglow that has a functioning LED light inside of it. You’ve got to love the fact that since this guy is a night light of sorts, one of his accessories is a teddy bear. Very cool use of that Grayskull ring, too!
From David:
This custom has been my project for a long while now.
It’s been taxing at best!
I custom built a battery holder and led board to fit seemlessly into old Scarey’s chest.
Im pretty stoked on how he came out
Recipe just in case you cant tell
BODY and Head - Full paint Stripped Scare Glow
BOOTS - Modified Skeletor
CHEST PLATE - Custom Re-scuplt He-Ro armor with Grayskull ring
LED and back switch - Dave Tootheay Special Sauce
WEAPONS - Rescuplt Hordak Staff, Playmobile teddy bear
And yes, since the body is from the original MOTUCScareglow, he holds the charge and glows in the dark after the light has been turned off.
Check out these awesome super deformed or “Chibi” style MOTU sculptures by Bryan Wong! These pieces are 3-5 inches tall and typically have a few points of articulation. It’s cool to see characters that already have such strong visual identities re-envisioned in an even more hyperstylized manner. But what’s extra crazy is the fact that Bryan has made these things with Crayola Model Magic clay!
From Bryan’s deviantART page:
Bryan takes on… Masters Of The Universe! Just face it, everybody loves He-Man! Yeah you do! Seriously the 80s was an atrocious era in pop culture but He-Man saved the day. In one way or another you have probably begged, borrow or steal a MOTU action figure or watched an episode of the cartoon after school with its silly PSAs at the end! Don’t deny it. We’re all guilty. In it’s hey days MOTU was Mattel’s biggest cash cow in the boys department. It was the Pokemon of the 80s, so many characters to choose from but you can never catch ‘em all. At least I never did. So what can I say, I grew up with the franchise and it will always have a special place in this little planet of mine. To pay tribute to this “on again off again and then on again” 80s fad, I’ve decided to re-envisioned these great characters in stylized “SD Chibi-like” collectible figurines! I’ve seen countless of fanart drawings of this style and it would be just uber awesome if Mattel would do a line of mini collectibles of MOTU like Hasbro did with their Superhero Squad and such.
OK back to the Mini Masterz Unleashed! Project. All the figurines you see or about to see are all made from Crayola Model Magic. What?!!! That kiddie play doh modeling compound? Let me tell you something it’s a great modeling material that air dries, light weight and ready to paint. I’m not promoting the product here it’s just that I find it to be very user friendly for people who find regular clay messy to work with. That’s right, this is to prove that one can use inexpensive materials to make something great! Every character is sculpted from scratch, no customization work here. All figures are 3 inches in scale and poseable, with 3 points of articulation on the neck and arms. Body parts are swappable. These are just fanart pieces and are not for sale. All characters are property of Mattel. Well I hope you’ve enjoyed browsing this little corner of my gallery. Check back soon for new figures and exhibits! Feel free to download any of the images, I won’t hunt you down just give me some credit if you’re posting it on another website. He-Man thanks you for not eating, smoking or use flash photography in the gallery!
Mattel is launching MOTUC’s 2010 with Adora, the alter ego of She-Ra. This is an exciting release for many reasons. First of all, she represents the first MOTUC figure from the Princess of Power line and is identified as such by the additional icon on her packaging. Secondly, there has never been a figure for Adora, so this is a sign of Mattel’s willingness to further expand the roster of MOTUC characters beyond those that have already been released in other forms as action figures. Thirdly, and what interests me the most, is the fact that this design is heavily derived from Adora’s Filmation cartoon appearance. Even though this is the case, she looks like she will fit in well with the other MOTUC figures. So, although Mattel doesn’t officially have the rights to Filmation characters like Icer, Strongarm, and Fang Man quite yet, it shows great promise for their respective figures if they ever do. Adora is included in the 2010 subscription program.
It was a dark day indeed for King Randor™ and Queen Marlena when their precious newborn daughter was abducted by the evil Hordak™. Celebrate the return of the Princess of Power™ as she takes her rightful spot in your collection with the first-ever Princess Adora figure! Like all Masters of the Universe® figures, Princess Adora is fully-articulated and sculpted with amazing detail by the Four Horsemen. She comes complete with:
Removable holster
Horde Force Captain blaster
Sword of Protection
Princess Adora Bio
Real Name: Adora of the House of Randor (Leader in the Great Rebellion)
When Adora and her twin brother, Adam, were born, the Sorceress recognized they were the twins prophesized to wield the Power of Grayskull™. She magically cloned the Sword of He, enhancing it with the Stone of Protection so that each twin could have a key to unlock the Power. But Hordak™ also learned of the twins and arranged for his Eternian pupil, Skeletor®, to abduct the infants. Man-At-Arms® prevented Adam from being taken, but Adora was stolen away to the planet of Etheria, deep in the Dimension of Despondos. There, she was raised by Hordak™, until the day her brother returned, handing her the Sword of Protection, which she held aloft to become She-Ra™ — The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe!
Although Battle Armor He-Man is a very cool design, I was never that into the figure as a kid. Yet, I think this incarnation looks really cool. And, all accounts and reviews that I’ve read from people who have gotten their hands on him already have said that this is the nicest MOTUCHe-Man figure, yet. Plus, he’s going to look great on next month’s Battle Cat! Battle Armor He-Man is a bonus figure that is not a part of the 2010 subscription program.
If you were lucky enough to have one of the original He-Man® toys back in the ’80s, then you remember that cool spinning wheel in his chest that showed various states of damage. Our all-new Battle Armor® He-Man® pays homage to that beloved feature with three interchangeable armor plates, each with varying degrees of dents! Always ready for a good fight, he comes complete with his trademark battle axe.
To adapt to new enemies and situations, Adam has learned to tap further into the great power that his sword unlocks. The combined Power of the Universe and the Knowledge of the Elders is called upon by Adam and channeled through the Sword of He to create new forms of armor and weapons to combat evil. His Battle Armor® was created to protect He-Man® during his early battles with Skeletor® and his evil warriors. Using the Power of Grayskull™, He-Man® — The Most Powerful Man in the Universe™, is now shielded by his mighty Battle Armor®!
Once again, MadTinker76 has taken a character from the MOTU, erm, universe, and re-envisioned him in a new and amazing way. This interpretation maintains most of the original design elements of the character, in terms of color and shape, but really brings the idea of the flying hero into a decidedly steam punk realm. It’s a look that not only stands on its own as a great custom, but also oddly could have fit in with the aesthetic/feel of some of the early MOTU mini comics.
From MadTinker76:
This was one character I have been going back and forth on designs for awhile. Crisco and I talked about it more than a year ago.. I had started one and ended up scrapping it. Wanted something different, was really leaning towards a Prince Vultan/Hawkman design from the Flash Gordon comic so I gravitated to the DC Universe Hawkman.
The Head is a DC Direct Else Worlds Green Lantern.. He had those really cool goggles and that leather cap, perfect for what I wanted to do.
I tried to keep the original character’s color scheme but updating it with a metallic/ Silverhawk shine.
I used the straps and loin clothe from the 2002 Stratos figure. I inverted the colors on the loin clothe so that the feathers matched the wings.
Thought a bird-man needed some talons so, Raven Spawn donated those. The wings are from a Zoids figure I got many years ago and that had broken during one of my moves. I removed the wings from the HOM Wolverine’s flight pack and attached the folding wings from the Zoids toy.
The Wings do open and fold..When the Wings are spread the measure close to 12 inches wide from tip to tip. The main purpose of using the HOM flight pack was to use the spring loaded action feature so that the wings could tuck further behind him and then pop out.. well it worked for first dozen times and then the locking mechanism wouldn’t catch..So, I took it apart and fixed it, just to have it not catch after the next dozen times.. at that point I decided to make the wings/flight pack removable. The Wings/Flight Pack on the back are attached with a magnet and when worn, held in place by a piece that I took off of a Rocketeer bendy toys rocket pack..
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