Many, many months of MOTUC!

Moving interstate is full on, and things fall through the cracks when you do. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the boo-boo I’m about to confess.

I was putting together my review of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics Buzz-Off and Vikor, when I realised that I had written but never posted a review of the previous two releases, Roboto and Grizzlor. Oops! In some cases I’d just move on, but I had to go back and look at the first two, and one of them is currently my favourite MOTUC figure! Also, my original pics for these two were more dodgy than my usual dodgy pics, so it was a good excuse to have a redo. So, get ready for a mega-MOTUC Catch-up!

Way back in November came Roboto. This is a bit of a “meh” MOTUC figure for me. Many of the characters that are coming out in this line go beyond my MOTOC knowledge, and that’s not an issue for me, as I like many of the styles and choices in the line and really love the figures of some characters I didn’t previously know (see Grizzlor below). The issue here is that Roboto is quite outside the normal aesthetic of the line, and as I have no connection with him, I’m not that wild about him. The transparent pieces are definitely a very cool design. This just isn’t a figure that’s going to do more in my MOTUC display than hang around in the background and wish he had friends.

I love the snap-on tools element of the MOTUC figures, and Roboto has extra pieces / hands that fit in nicely into the attachments on his back. This design element is a real bonus for someone like me who isn’t overly interested in accessories and doesn’t have a great storage system for them.

Grizzlor is one of those MOTUC characters that I only have vague recollection of from the vintage years, but he’s a novelty in the line because he’s, well... cute and fuzzy. In a line that can seem same-ish at times due to the reused buck and design elements, Grizzlor is a welcome change. He’s also a toy with personality. When I was taking photos of him, there was an angle where his fur was hanging over his face in such a funny way, that I just fell in love with the guy. Until Ram-Man comes along, Grizzlor is my MOTUC star.

I had a swag of toys to unpack the day I opened Grizzlor, and thus unlisted the help of the AFB-ettes. (Or, as we sometimes call them in our household, “anti-helpers”. As such, I didn’t personally open this fuzzy guy, and thus he was presented to me with his belt unbuckled, and I really can’t work out how to reattach it. Thankfully due to all the fur and fuzz it isn’t noticeable. He still comes with a fun range of accessories. I especially love his machete style sword!

Buzz-Off is a memorable character from the original line, and one that I, like many others, have been greatly looking forward to seeing the Four Horsemen version of. It was a bit of a wait, but well worth it, as this figure has turned out brilliantly. There is some serious sculpting work here, from the small detail of Buzz-Off’s torso and face to his headsculpt with removable helmet. He has articulated pincers for hands which just hold his staff. He has some interesting ridges that run down the side of this legs to three-toed street.

All of that positive comment comes before I’ve even started discussing Buzz-Off’s wings. These are beautifully designed. They are translucent with a detailed pattern in them, and swing to a number of different angles, great for posing in fight or flight modes. They are quite high when fully extended, in fact too high for the shelf in my Billy Bookcase I have my MOTUC figures displayed in to be displayed fully extended. Truly an excellent piece.

Vikor was the first MOTUC subscription figure that I have considered off-loading, but that was before I received him. I think he’s a bit of a stretch for inclusion in the line, but he’s a good looking figure, and I’ve decided he’s worth keeping on that merit alone. I found removing him from the package quite a challenge, as his cape was well and truly stuck in the plastic insert and the attachment didn’t appear terribly secure, which made me afraid of breaking it. In the end, I used scissors to free him to be sure.

Vikor is another good example of what can be done with the basic MOTUC buck simply through accessories. There’s no particularly special new sculpting on the buck itself, but his helmet, cape and accessories work together to make quite a distinct and different figure. Considering my apathy towards the character, I’m quite surprised by how much I actually like Vikor now that he’s on my shelf. He’s not going to star in any of my displays, but he fits better in my mind than Roboto.

So that moves me a bit closer to being caught up on MOTUC stuff – good thing too, since my February items just arrived today!

You can see more pics on Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the March AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!