I've had this deluxe flocked Panthor on ice since I found him at a local Walmart in 2021. for what reason I can't explain- his exorbitant price of forty bucks? The avalanche of MOTU figures that have been released in the interim? Regardless, his collector-friendly packaging allows for him to be easily removed and put back for safekeeping, so I decided to finally open and photograph this wonderful toy.
I didn't have the original Panthor released in 1983, just after I started getting into more teenage interests, but it was only released flocked like this. He's a different shade of purple than my standard release MOTU Origins Panthor, as well as my New Eternia Panthor from Mattel Creations that I just posted about. Suddenly, I have a lot more Panthor in the Super-DuperToyBox!
Below, my standard issue Panthor with my 1st Wave Skeletor, and my flocked Panthor with my new MOTU x Stranger Things Skeletor in front of my Snake Mountain playset, the latter of which I also did not have back in the '80s. It's fun to have more characters/figures/playsets from the MOTU line than I had in childhood!
I'd been holding onto the Skeletor/Demogorgon MOTU x Stranger Things 2pk forever, only a week ago bumping into the He-Man/Vecna set at a local Target. I'm not sure why the rollout for these was spaced so far apart, but I feel like it didn't help generate much excitement about them- the initial Skeletor/Demogorgon set was still crowding the pegs at most the local Targets when I found the He-Man/Vecna set. The packaging is great on these, especially the inner tray that doubles as a diorama/background for these figures...
I liked the Netflix Stranger Things series, and have enjoyed the various MOTU crossovers, including TMNT and WWE. Mattel did a great job turning the Demogorgon and Vecna in MOTU figures- there are reused parts of course, but enough new that it doesn't feel like a cash grab at all. And they look like they were made to reside in my Snake Mountain playset!
There was a second release of the Wave 1 Origins He-Man and Skeletor with the classic heads and new, solid power swords. We did get more classic heads with the Battle Armor versions of these characters ahead of these re-releases, but I thought so much of these figures that I bought them as well....
And finally, Stranger Things He-Man and Skeletor on my Battlefield Warriors Battle Cat and that deluxe flocked Panthor I mentioned in my last post. I had the latter on ice for the last five years, but had to break the seal for this post- the box was very collector friendly, so he'll probably stay in there for most of his life to keep him clean. I love the He-Man and Skeletor variants in these sets probably even more that the Demogorgon and Vecna!
Like everyone, I was excited to hear about Mattel Creations releasing a Masterverse Panthor, and the thing did not disappoint! The box art is magnificent, front and back, which continues onto the inner slip panel, which features a panoramic scene of Snake Mountain on the verso:
The overall metallic sheen of Panhor and his armor make the whole thing sizzle, bringing out the texture in the sculpt. The horned bracers on the front legs and spear are nice extras. Panthor's green eyes are really a standout, set back under their realistic, glassy depth. Really nice. Additionally, his upper fangs drop down when you open the cat's jaw. Panthor also has subtle leopard pattern over his body, largely covered by his saddle and helmet.
Below, Masterverse New Eternia Battle Armor Skeletor and Panthor with my MOTU Origins Battle Armor Skeletor and Panthor. I also have had the MOTU Origins Collector's Edition Flocked Panthor boxed since 2021!
Below, Masterverse New Eternia Panthor with my Masterverse Revelation Battle Cat and Revolution Battle Armor He-Man! I got my Battle Cat at 50% off retail, but some collectors have wondered aloud if we will see a New Eternia Battle Cat- is there a demand for it like Panthor? I suppose it's possible, and while I'm happy enough with my Revelation Battle Cat for now, Panthor superior in presentation and features.
At forty bucks plus six ninety-five to ship, I say this deluxe Panthor is a good value- a beautiful toy that MOTU collectors have been waiting a long time to get. The perfect steed to my Battle Armor Skeletor and looks great next to my Battle Cat. Recommended!
I preordered my Gold Label Superman from Nerdzoic some time ago but only stumbled upon the Power Girl in the wild last weekend while out of town! Since they are cousins, I thought they'd be a nice pairing to post about. I have a love/hate relationship with McFarlane DC Multiverse that's mostly positive, but they have made some great looking figures, and I'm liking the move to wired cloth capes.
This Gold Label Superman looks to be mostly a repaint for the Action Comics 1000 Superman that came out about five years ago, but with a wired cloth cape- with an S on the back this time. For whatever reason, they removed the sculpted chest insignia, replacing it with a flat tampograph, inexplicably printed in metallic red. It has nothing to do with the tomato reds throughout the outfit, but I like it for some reason. I'm unsure the butterfly shoulders help articulation, and we get the original single hinged elbows from the older figure- there are better, updated bucks that have superior articulation. Regardless, the wired cloth cape makes him 10X more interesting, and we were given a flight stand.
I didn't care for the skin tone or facial portrait on this McFarlane Hush Superman, and though he may have better articulation than this Gold Label Superman, I'm not convinced the sculpt is better. The Gold Label looks more natural...
Funny, I posted another McFarlane Toys Superman only a couple weeks ago-
To my dismay, Power Girl quickly sold out online and I accepted I might not get her but was surprised to find her a Walmart while out of town recently! I love this mostly classic version of Kara- especially the confident, beautiful facial portrait. Another wired cloth cape, but disappointingly no flight stand like Superman. Her cat Streaky has a cloth cape as well.
While Superman has a lot of reused parts, and Kara is possibly out of scale with a lot of earlier McFarlane DC Multiverse figures, I did enjoy these figures. They both have great facial portraits, and the wired cloth capes are fantastic. McFarlane figures often confound me with their awkward articulation and instability, and some of that applies here, but the figures look great overall.
I was surprised to see these at a local Target, the Batmobile priced at an unbelievable price of $19.99, a buck less for myself using my Target Redcard! I wasn't impressed with the Riddler figure, which was way out of scale with Batman and Robin, and the Two-Face didn't come with a pistol, so I passed on him for that oversight. Batman Forever wasn't my favorite Batman movie, but I enjoyed it well enough, and though I wasn't into the toys of that era, I really like the retro aesthetic Spin Master put into these. Check out the video:
The McFarlane Toys Batman Forever Batmobile looks fantastic, but it's not cheap, so this Spin Master version is a very affordable alternative. I was delighted to realize it included a Batman figure- he was just sitting in the driver's seat, the canopy taped shut, inside the box! You can't help but feel Spin Master released this knowing all those '90s kids would buy one, some for their own kids.
The box art on Batmobile is fantastic! Colorful, exciting and '90s nostalgic:
Below, the individual Spin Master Batman Forever figures- I absolutely love these...
The sliding canopy on this Batman Forever Batmobile is fantastic! I saw one online complaint about the included Batman not easily fitting into the cockpit, but mine fit just fine. It's seating for one, so the Boy Wonder will have to take the Two-Shoe Express! :D
I'd have a hard time choosing between these two Batman figures, both identical in sculpt, so I'm glad I have them both! Batman has added articulation in the hinges in the shoulders. My main complaint with these figures is the lack of accessories- I'd have paid even more for a few batarangs and a grapple hook.
While I took a pass on the two villains in this line, I'm mad for the Batman, Robin, and Batmobile- the latter a stunning value at $19.99. Make no mistake, these aren't adult collectibles- they are toys, and they are made for play. I highly recommend these and look forward to seeing what Spin Master releases later this year!
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20(9)%20SDTB.jpg)
%20(8)%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
.jpg)
%20%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)
%20SDTB.jpg)