Prime time is coming to Horde World and action figure collector’s shelves alike! While we have seen a great deal of vintage line characters roll out in refreshed fashion in Masters of the Universe Classics this year, the month of June has produced the contrary in its release offerings. Snake Man-at-Arms and the Griffin deliver some MYP-era satisfaction, but the most looming and evil presence shipping this month made his bones in the FilMation Princess of Power cartoon and some UK comics. Yep, I am talking about Horde Prime himself, the only guy capable of being the boss of the baddest warlord in the universe (his younger brother Hordak) is making his debut all the way from Horde World. In spectacular fashion, he is even keeping the details of his gruesome mug a secret for now, but he will start shipping to everyone soon, so hopefully the suspense won’t last too much longer. Come check out all of the rest of the scoop on this Supreme Ruler of the Evil Horde after the jump.
You know, I have always been very conflicted about the role, nay, the very existence of Horde Prime in the MOTU mythos. I did not watch a lot of the She-Ra cartoon as a kid, but I saw enough to know about Horde Prime. As a kid, and one who was very sure that no one was a badder man than Hordak, it always confused me that he was actually accountable to someone else, even if it was a large and looming presence always in the shadows. Hordak taking orders? Hordak sniveling to robotic cloud man? How could this be? Well, over time, and as I immersed myself more in the PoP cartoon as an adult, I was able to find room for Horde Prime. It is hard to deny the similarities between the Emperor and Darth Vader from Star Wars in the relationship between Hordak and his big brother (and the knocking off of the Jedi, er, Cosmic Enforcers), but classic themes have a way of spanning across many fictional dimensions.
Now that he has been cemented into the MOTU mythos with some tangible background information, I think the short bio still lends itself to a certain level of ambiguity of how his history will play out, so MOTU fans can still do a bit to “choose their own adventure.” I am still playing with how Horde Prime fits into my own MOTU world as I am just not sure the best place is for him is just the “commanding dictator from afar.” Something about that just seems so nonthreatening and lacks the urgency of the trials and tribulations being played out in the rest of the story. I am thinking that perhaps Horde Prime is eventually usurped by Hordak, or that maybe Hordak is both Horde Prime and Hordak, or Horde Prime is just some false figurehead that is in place to keep the Horde Empire running while Hordak beats up various Eternians and Etherians (for the last few thousand years). Whichever way it plays out, I am glad to have Horde Prime as a part of my mythos and collection, so I have come a long way since I was about 4-5 years old. Yay me.
I already mentioned that Toy Guru wants to keep the look of Horde Prime’s alternate head a secret until he is actually released, but I would not spoil it here anyway. Even though some unpainted production sample pictures have surfaced, I can still understand the fun about not being spoiled for something, especially in this day of information overload. This sample did not include the under-the-helmet head (tricksy Toy Guru slipped in the Faceless One’s head, so he is a double no-show as far as faces go), so I will be watching for the UPS man to deliver my subscription package with great anticipation. From the looks of it, though, (potential spoilers ahead) it appears that Horde Prime could most certainly be the older brother from the same mother to Hordak, or perhaps an older version of Hordak himself. Hmm… interesting (end potential spoilers). Take heart, though — thanks to the gigantic helm and alternate UK comics head, this Prime is not running around like a dictator with his head cut off.
The helmet itself is a bit of a revelation, and I mean that in a way that I am still consistently amazed by the amount of research and thought that the Four Horsemen put into their MOTU projects. While it took me a bit to recognize it when I saw the pictures from NYCC 2011, like the rest of the internet, I finally realized I was looking at what the giant form of Horde Prime looked like under the mist in the FilMation cartoon. Sure, he wasn’t, like, a hundred feet tall anymore, but if you whisk away the green smoke, the shape of the helmet looks just like the FilMation form. It is a good feeling to know how pure the intentions of the guys in charge of the sculpts for this line are; I feel that we are really being looked out for, even when things don’t translate 100 percent. As it is stands, though, this helm is very impressive, it adds height and mass and you will be able to see just a hint of Horde Prime’s face underneath.
The funny thing about the UK head, even as goofy as it might be, is like so many other things about Horde Prime that kind of surprised me. I think it is the paint job, it has a lot of depth and brushing to bring out the subtle color shift from light pink (I know!) to pale gray. I am actually conflicted about which head to display in my collection. Even though this antennae-laden helmeted catfish look is complete crazy, it has been growing on me ever since I saw it. Sure, it was easy to dismiss the existence of it when it was just in a comic that I had never seen as a child, but now there is something endearing and perhaps, even striking about it. I know, I know, this is a graphic definition of a “first world problem,” but I wonder which head will win the fan-favorite count for this guy. I do wish the reddish-orange used for the helmet and antennae was the vivid red used on the rest of the figure. I know that color matches the comic, but that is staying TOO true to the source for me. I think I would work better if it matched. As it stands, you really do have three options for display: helmeted, helmet-less, and UK head. Well, four options if you want to show off your figure without a head — have it your way, baby! The point is, it is nice to have options.
The rest of the figure is a crazy amalgamation of borrowed (mostly from the Faceless One) and new parts to create a brand-new look for the character. The top boots, arms and shoulders are borrowed from Roboto and they ARE assembled correctly on this figure. The color scheme of black and red (a Cornboy favorite) with this almost regal design does the trick for an intergalactic dictator. Frankly, I am very glad they went this route and did not remain purely faithful to the UK comic costume. That being said, I am betting at least a few people bought an extra Mighty Spector to get to work on that custom. He is missing a few original paint sample applications, but I don’t think it is anything that really detracts from the figure itself. His cape is HUGE and heavy and has a nice black spray on it to bring out the depth; his new winged boots are refreshingly unique, and all of the parts work together to make him a lot larger than just a regular figure. I mean, he’s no Megator, but just check out the pictures — he is a big boy! The Horde motif continues on his costume just like all the Horde members, but perhaps we are all in need of a paradigm shift since I am not so sure that has been Hordak’s visage adorning all of those Horde logos; they might have always been in the mold of Prime.
I realize that the sore subject surrounding this figure is that that staff he was originally supposed to be given was cut from the final figure due to budget constraints. I admit that I am bummed too, but I hope that it will eventually make its way into release because it appears (in a Toy Guru preview video) that it was actually tooled up. Maybe Vultak or Scorpia can carry it for him. Right now, though, I am going to give the figure the staff that came with Hordak. The staff never really worked with Hordak for me (he gets his standard issue crossbow), and while I think the mecha-crossbow is a cool idea, it doesn’t really ring true for Prime in my head. I know, I know — here I go again with that kind of stuff, but being able to swap out hands and take your pick with these things is certainly a plus. You can use the bow and cybernetic hands on the aforementioned Roboto, as well as Trap Jaw, so the part-swappability continues in true MOTUC fashion.
The Horde continues to propagate in Classics and before the end of the year we should be adding at least one more member in Mosquitor; however, by week’s end the Supreme Ruler of the Horde will make his way to your door ready to boss everyone around. I am still reconciling how he exactly fits into my personal continuity, but in the meantime, I have a very intimidating figure to add to my Fright Zone Display. The combination of the helmet, color scheme, and his (surprisingly huge) stature makes him very unique, even in a rabble of characters that all sport the same visage (his). I am still not sure which head will end up spending more time in the display, but, as always, that is a good problem to have. If you’re like me, your attention has been monopolized by so many of the long-awaited figures that have been released lately, so I am willing to bet that the original 2012 subscription-incentive figure surprises a lot of fans; however, if he doesn’t impress you with his looks, he can probably beat you up. Or just tell Grizzlor to maul your face. He is ruthless, after all. It runs in the family.
*Thanks for checking out this First Look and thanks to Toy Guru and his Evil Toy Horde for sending him along. More soon so stay tuned!
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Mines arrived yesterday and I’m loving the Red head that was kept as a secret from us. This figure is bigger than the other 6 inch figures in this lineup. Hope since they invented Horde Prime that we get to see new Horde Member soon. Cool review by the way!
that head with the red hat and antennae may not be “real” head but it’s freaking scary as hell! who would have thought something so goofy looking could look so scary at the same time. maybe it’s the whole scary clown vibe it gives off, ronald mcdonald terrified me as a kid.
Oh man, I really like the Prime gear mixed and matched with Hordak.
It’s rather fitting that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer turned Galactus into a giant cloud, and MOTUC turns a giant cloud into Galactus.
Can’t wait for Horde Prime to join my ranks.
That head doesn’t belong with that body. The head looks so nonthreatening. It’s no wonder he has to wear that helment kinda like a paper bag over his head.
Battle Armor Hordak for me! There’s no HP in my universe!
So Great! That staff looks perfect with Horde Prime. I, like you, never thought it fit well with Hordak. I think I’ll be displaying him without a head. The dark emptiness within the helmet gives a nice ominous vibe that screams HORDE PRIME!