Poe’s Review > Thunder Punch He-Man (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

May 16, 2012 | Poe
How 'bout a nice Hawaiian punch?

Hurricane Hordak joins the nation's punched

Thunder Punch He-Man is yet another one of those He-Man guises that I never had as a kid; I never even knew anyone who had one. It was a gimmicky figure, given its use of caps to create a “super punch” sound, and action features like that never appealed to me as a kid. The figure also came along a little later in the line in 1985, by which time young Poe was obsessed with Transformers.

The vintage TP He-Man was a bit unusual because he featured some brand-new sculpting, specifically his chest and arms, as well as (if I recall correctly) a solid head rather than a rubbery hollow one. He also lacked the traditional He-Man uber-tan, for whatever reason. Mattel also sold replacement caps for the figure separately.

The Thunder Punch outfit made an appearance in the minicomic “The Treachery of Modulok.” At one point, Hordak has erected an impenetrable barrier of magical energy around himself. It’s a thorny problem, best solved by a counter-spell or a psychological ruse or– (more…)

Happy Stinkor Day!

May 15, 2012 | Poe

Image from He-Man.org

Link to the all-in-one page

It’s Stinkor Day! Whether you think the reversed forearms were a deliberate action by Mattel or an accident they tried to cover up…you’re getting one if you’re a subscriber.

It’s also Slush Head Day (congrats Mike Bock!), Mighty Spector Day, and Snake Mountain Stands Day. For you DC Universe Classics fans, it’s also Golden Age Flash Day.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #56 > Bubble Power She-Ra

May 15, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

She-Ra Bio
Real Name: Adora of the House of Randorâ„¢

After crossing over from Etheria to Eternia with the help of Light Hope, She-Ra joined forces with her brother and the Masters of the Universe who were caught in a four-way war with the Snake Menâ„¢, Skeletor and Hordak. She used her cloned sword to harmonize with and channel the Powers of Grayskullâ„¢ to form new arms and armor in the midst of battle. Her Bubble Powerâ„¢ armor greatly enhances She-Ra’s stamina and allows her to funnel great fumes of energy at her foes. She remained on Eternia to fight off evil until both she and He-Man were called to the stars to fulfill their destiny, traveling to the Tri-Solar System to end the oppression of the Horde Empire.

Like He-Man, She-Ra can “harmonize” with the Powers [sic] of Grayskull to form new arms and armor. He-Man gets the awesome-looking Battle Armor; She-Ra gets…Bubble Powers, which allow her to funnel great “fumes” of energy (energy apparently having been transmuted into a gas at some point).

This bio does reveal a few things, though: it confirms the existence of Light Hope in the MOTUC Bio Universe (MBU) and mentions the four-way war between the Heroic Warriors, the Evil Warriors, the Snake Men and the Horde that occurs near the end of the timeline. I’m a bit unclear on how this war ends, though we know Skeletor defeats Hordak and takes off into space to conquer the Horde Empire and the universe itself.

So, some new information and a serviceable if uninspired explanation for the Bubble Powers (as it includes no mention of, y’know, bubbles).

MOTUC Bio Discussion Archive

Poe’s Review > NM-E (Ultraforce, Galoob)

May 14, 2012 | Poe
Ultraforce NM-E by Galoob

Ultraforce NM-E by Galoob

While at a conference last week in Worcester, Mass., I stopped by the comic shop/toy store That’s Entertainment. In addition to newer toys, it has a slew of older stuff (including a lot of cool old Godzilla toys). I browsed for a while, but the only thing I actually ended up buying was this Ultraforce NM-E figure. I’d seen it on eBay many times and considered buying one during my Marvel Legends days, as he seemed a perfect enemy (pun intended) for the likes of the X-Men. He sort of looked like a cross between a Brood and a Danger Room robot. (more…)

Figure It Out #15

May 14, 2012 | Poe

Click for a larger version

First off, congrats to Poester ER, winner of last week’s Figure It Out contest. The figure was, technically, Cpl. Slash from Starcom, but as many Poesters pointed out in their guesses, they way I cropped the image it could also have been Sgt. Borek, so I accepted either answer.

Guesses for this week are due to poe@poeghostal.com by 12 noon ET on Friday. Please put “Figure It Out” in your subject line. Winner will be chosen at random from among correct guesses and will receive a Poe Prize (a little vending machine UFO toy, just so you’re not disappointed). Contest is open to all, including Power Pals, friends, family, and international Poesters. One entry per person. Good luck!