Skeletor. Oh Skeletor, it really is time for you to be afraid. No, seriously, you and all of your evil minions no longer stand the small chance that you previously had against He-Man and his menagerie of Masters. In what marks a step up to the next level of success, the Masters of the Universe Classics line is about to deliver the first “large scale” beast to us on February 15th in the form of the gigantic Battle Cat. Yes, it is only January 5th but I am going to go out on a limb and say that this will be the toy of the year for many, many collectors. There has been a ton of excitement surrounding ‘Cat since he made his debut at the San Diego Comic Con back in July and in a rare twist in the world of action figures, he completely lives up to the hype.
I have to admit that I am having trouble with deciding where to even start with this one. How this is best action figure that I have gotten in a long, long time? How the Four Horsemen and Toy Guru continue to top themselves with Masters goodness? That he is probably going to sell out on Matty Collector in a matter of hours (if not less)? I dunno, it seems that none of those accolades really tell this tiger’s tail. Sure I am pretty sure all of those things apply here, but they don’t really speak to what this figure really is and how I feel about it. We are in for a good long ride with MOTUC as I think its success speaks for itself, but if it were to all be over on February 16th, I think a lot of people would be able to walk away satisfied after getting this figure.
Really, even just calling Battle Cat a “figure” falls a little flat. You can’t call him a vehicle either, really so I guess “largre scale beast” will have to do; but again, this big green cat is kind of his own entity. So, I am going to handle this one mostly in pictures because hopefully, they will speak for themselves. Most anything I have to say about how much I like this guy is probably going to be expected anyhow so I will touch on the finer points and then let you look at the pictures, if you have not already skipped down to look at them.
First the obvious, the sculpt really is flawless, but you pretty much knew that already, right? I think I could work my entire life trying create something as cool as Battle Cat and never even come within an earshot, the Four Horsemen have lapped us all about 1000 times with this one. The sculpt stands out for two big obvious reasons. First, it is a slavishly loyal updated adaptation of the original and second, because it is just a badass giant tiger sculpt. Or Panthor sculpt. Or Zabu sculpt. The detail really shines throughout, but the standouts are in the head sculpt and, for me, the paws.
All of the fur lines and textures are there throughout the entire sculpt and the head is a fantastic update of the original Battle Cat but with the detail you would expect from the Horsemen. I really love the expression and how the ears are slightly pushed down, much like you would expect them to appear under the helmet. The detail does not stop at the muzzle and nose though, everything inside the mouth (the teeth/fangs and tongue) are all represented. That is good because the jaw opens wide and you can everything in there.
I also really dig the sculpting on the longer fur that stretches from the under the head to the stomach area. There are two separate pieces, one on the head and one on the neck so it does not inhibit any movement. Also, I am a sucker for the paws as well. I don’t know why, maybe it is the animal lover in me, but the paws have a lot of personality. There is great sculpting on the bottom of the feet so you can see the pads and the articulation makes it so you position the paws in some dynamic poses. I might be making too much of it, but it works really well.
Finally, the sculpting on the armor recalls the classic version at just about every turn. I like how there is a place to keep your trusty Power Sword and both the body and the head armor can be easily removed. You know, for Battle Cat’s off days. The major spot I was concerned about on this figure when I first saw it was the saddle portion. I was very concerned about whether or now He-Man would be able to sit naturally in the saddle with his furry shorts. To my relief, can – easily. A very small detail that could have been disasterous if not handled well and the 4H don’t disappoint.
The last thing I want to touch on is the engineering of Battle Cat, e.g. the construction and articulation. He is BY FAR the most articulated MOTUC offering we have gotten so far (I count 28 points of articulation), but there is not one point that was added just for the sake of doing so. All the articulation, from the ball-jointed knees and ankles to the lateral movement in the hips to the ball-jointed tail (!) functions very fluidly but the joints themselves remain tight so there is no fear of this big cat catching marionette syndrome. I really like the torso articulation as well as it allows for some interesting and natural positioning. As beautiful as this figure is, he is extremely well made with no stuck, floppy or awkward joints.
Really, I don’t know what else I can say about Battle Cat without telling you what you probably already see or crossing over to a full-on gush fest (morseso). I know that this is a very subjective and fickle hobby and I have come to realize that even if I really love a figure, someone out there will probably hate it. However, if once you get this figure in hand and you can say that you don’t like it, please leave your address so I can direct the ambulance to your house because you are obviously having a breakdown. I just cannot imagine any action figure fan not digging the hell out of Battle Cat. Come the end of the year, his presence on “Best of” lists will be so ubiquitous some might wonder if any other toys came out this year at all.
Obviously, Battle Cat is not going to last long at Matty Collector on February 15th. I HIGHLY suggest you make arrangements to be there right at 12:00 pm EST because if he hangs out for more than an hour, I will be shocked, he is worth every single penny. Take lunch at that time, call in sick, have your grandama order for you, whatever it takes, get your, ahem, paws on this figure.
Oh, and I know that Toy Guru and Mattel are waiting to see how this figure does before they venture out into other large scale beasts, but I can tell you right now, Panthor is coming. Cat is going to sell fast enough to get him at least, but hopefully it will be good enough to get us Swift Wind (the reuse is unlimited here), Mantisaur, Cringer (can be reused for Catra) and hell, even Clawdeen (best name ever). Then there will be other challenges to face like castles and vehicles, I am already calling this one a success.
*Thanks for checking this out and thanks to Toy Guru and the Four Horsemen for knocking Battle Cat out of the park, the MOTUC ride just got even more fun than it already was. We will be back with more soon!
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