MOTUC Bio Discussion #52 > Hurricane Hordak
Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!
Hurricane Hordak Bio
Real Name: Hec-Tor Kurâ„¢After being released from exile in Despondosâ„¢ by Evil-Lyn, Hordak returned to Eternia with his ageless army to once again claim its hidden magical properties for his own. Finding his former pupil Skeletor on the throne following the apparent “death” of King Randorâ„¢, Hordak upgraded his armor with a Hurricane Blaster which he used to challenge the Evil Lord of Destructionâ„¢ and drive the Snake Menâ„¢ back into hibernation. After ripping through the walls of Snake Mountainâ„¢, Hurricane Hordak casts off his battle shield and advances on Skeletor whirling his thunderball mace!
This bio spends more time moving the story along than explaining the figure itself. That’s not as big a deal in this case, since the figure’s just an alternate guise of Hordak.
I’m a bit confused, though; Hordak returns from Despondos to find Randor gone and Skeletor on the throne of Eternia, so he upgrades his armor and challenges Skeletor while “driving the Snake Men back into hibernation.” How do the Snake Men figure into this? Has Skeletor defeated King Hssss and is ruling the Snake Men at this point?
If I had written this bio, I would have tried to give a little back story to the Hurricane Blaster. How did he make it? Where did it come from? Did he sacrifice anything for it? As it stands now, all we know is he “upgraded” is armor – which I do all the time in Mass Effect 3 by pressing “A.” So maybe that’s how he did it.
Review > Demo-Man (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)
The first thing I need to discuss about Demo-Man is his name. “Demo-Man” was not attached to the sketch this figure is based on; the sketch was nameless. Rather, “Demo-Man” was the working title for Skeletor for much of the early development of the Masters of the Universe line in the 1980s. The “Demo” was meant to invoke the word “demon.” I’ve long suspected the name might originally have been “De-Man,” a demonic counterpart to “He-Man,” but somewhere down the line someone decided to make it more obvious by adding the “mo.”
The sketch this figure is based on was drawn by Mark Taylor very early in the development of MOTU; its heroic counterpart has already been immortalized as Vikor. Like Vikor, Demo-Man is the MOTUC equivalent of a Star Wars Concept Collection figure. Also like Vikor, Demo-Man has been shoehorned into the Motuthos. I’ve discussed this at length here and here (including Mecha-Shiva’s amazing art showing Hordak merging Demo-Man and Keldor into Skeletor), so I won’t rehash the debate again. (more…)
Pic of the Day > Strike Noir Gundam by jaqio
Figure It Out #7
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Guesses for this week’s FIO 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 from among correct guesses and will receive a Poe Prize. Good luck!
Odds ‘n Ends > Caesar Ape Figure, Art Asylum News, ToyGuru on the Mighty Spector
- Out of nowhere comes this super-articulated Caesar from Rise of the Planet of the Apes from Hiya Toys. It’s available for preorder at BBTS for $25. He’ll have alternate heads, hands, and other accessories.
- I was a bit disappointed in Art Asylum’s early Universal Monsters offerings due to their limited articulation, but it looks like they’ll be making up for that with their upcoming Metaluna Mutant and Phantom of the Opera figures. I’m seeing hip hinges there. The Mutant will come with an Interocitor, which will finally allow me to put those MST3K figures I got with my box sets into some sort of a display.
- In other Art Asylum news, they revealed pics of their Avengers Hulk, and again, he’s looking great and well-articulated. Even better, due to the Hulk’s imprecise size, he’ll fit in perfectly with other Art Asylum figs or your 6″ Hasbro Avengers figures.
- There’s something interesting cooking up over at Onell Designs…namely, some sort of new vinyl variable hub-system.
- MOTUCFigures.com has an interview with Scott Neitlich about the Mighty Spector.
- On a more personal note, PGPoA recently regained the average number of pageviews/visits it had before Poe’s Great Ennui of 2011 began last spring. I want to thank you all for sticking it out during that dull time. I hope you’ve been enjoying the site more as of late – I know I have. And I’ve got some fun stuff planned ahead. Keep reading!
Play Arts Joker Contest > And the Winner Is…
So I’ve made my choices for the three runners-up and grand prize winner for the Joker contest. Before we go further, I want to thank Figure of the Day for donating the Joker figure!
This was an interesting contest to judge. I feel like I learned a lot about many of you – in particular, your fondness for farts. (more…)
Review > Fisto (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)
“The guys in Masters of the Universe don’t have superpowers…they have deformities. “
I’m unable to think about Fisto without immediately recalling that quote from a twelve-year-old old X-Entertainment review of the Filmation episode “Fisto’s Forest.” As Matt writes, “The show’s a lesson in overcoming adversity more than anything else. If these guys can get over the fact that there’s something wrong with all of them, so can you.”
Between his giant hand and his made-to-order double entendre name, Poing Super Combat Fisto has the odd distinction of simultaneously being one of the most risible and awesome MOTU characters. Yes, his name and gimmick are ridiculous, but visually he’s a bearded armored badass who would fit in perfectly in most any other medieval fantasy world (well, except for the hand).
The hand of Fisto’s vintage figure wasn’t that big; you could argue it was just a big metal gauntlet. The Millennium version,* in keeping with the exaggerated anime-inspired aesthetic of that line, had a gigantic gauntlet and featured some interesting cybernetic detailing.
And now we have the Classics version, which hearkens back to the vintage figure but does have a few Millennium touches. (more…)
Pic of the Day > K’Nex Koopa chasing Lizard Man by Prfkttear
Guest Review > 6″ Lion-O (Thundercats, Bandai)
Today we bring you a guest review of Bandai’s Thundercats Classic 6″ Lion-O figure by John Harmon from Mint Condition Customs.
Bandai brought back Thundercats with a thunderous roar last year, with a ton of product based on the new animated series as well as an eight-inch collector line of figures based on the classic looks of the Thundercats. After the first two figures, Lion-O and Tygra, were released, Bandai changed everything and announced that from then on, the Thundercats Classics figures would be in the much more collector-preferred six-inch scale. The first two figures to be released would be a new Lion-O figure and Mumm-Ra.
At first, even several of the six-inch collectors groaned at the news because they had already been sold on the eight-inch figures and didn’t want to have to start all over. Fortunately, that turned out to be a good move, because these figures fit much better on a toy shelf – and Lion-O is a really cool figure. (more…)