At some point during the early days of Masters of the Universe Classics, someone realized that the Club Eternia subscription, as robust as it was, would never be able to get us ALL of the MOTU characters we had been wanting for decades. So, in 2012, the idea of the “add-on” subscription was implemented with the 30th Anniversary series, and every year since then we have gotten another method to help shore up the corners of Eternia and get the characters that we have always wanted in figure form. Now in 2015, we have seen Filmation and Etheria have their days in the sun so the logical next choice for focus is the “200X” era and that is exactly what we are getting. So, starting next month, it will be an embarrassment of MYP riches start with the foundation or, ahem, rock, in the form of the briefly-seen CALLIX.
Technically, the 200X era kicked off the entire Classics line with the 2008 release of the San Diego Comic Con-exclusive King Grayskull. Things really started moving with the release of Zodak in 2009, and it was then when I started thinking about the characters from that era I would most like to see in the line. Chief Carnivus and Prahvus were always high on my list, but even though his screen time was fleeting in the MYP cartoon, Callix was always my most wanted. Despite his brief appearance, he had a lot going for him in my eyes and it did not take much imagination to realize he would make a pretty cool action figure. Well, the Four Horsemen proved my right and what they have created stands as one of the coolest figures we have gotten in recent memory.
So, while I certainly have my favorite eras of the eclectic MOTU history, I want to pull from all corners of the mythos for new figures to be introduced in this cohesive line. Callix is a good example of the success that has come from the Classics formula because even though he does not come close to fitting that classic vintage build, he integrates pretty perfectly with the figures we have gotten thus far. That is always a challenge for this line because not only do figures have to be strong on their own, but they have to be successful in that Classics aesthetic. That last point has gotten to be very important to me, so I really marvel at the figures that are successful in this, especially when they come with style and design challenges.
It is easy to see that this Callix figure got a lot of love from the Four Horsemen in his realization. Now, that could be because this is as close as Cornboy is going to get to making a figure of the Fantastic Four’s Thing in MOTU Classics, but the design is very interesting in and of itself, so it begins with a strong foundation. Even though I have been looking forward to a Callix figure for a long time, I was never really sure how he would be built to fit in with the rest of the line; so while the Horsemen have surprised me with their approach, it works so well it should be obvious. Well, it was probably obvious to them, and that is why they do what they do.
When I first clapped eyes on this figure at Toy Fair back in February, I was actually surprised that they found a way to build this figure on the standard Classics body. Sure, he has a lot of new parts that make him very unique, but, at his base, Callix is as Classics as just about any other figure in the line. I don’t say this to put the figure down, quite the contrary, I love that the Horsemen used the base and built Callix up to be a really unique figure while keeping with the aesthetic principles of the line. I will be the first to say that the rigid and sometimes overly detailed style of 200X doesn’t always mesh well with Classics, but this figure feels right with (almost) every decision.
Like I said, I am a great fan of the Evil Horde, and I have been since I was a wee lad, so I am bit protective of that faction. The original members cannot be beaten, and even though I like a lot of the additions that came along in Filmation and beyond, the original five members of Hordak, Leech, Grizzlor, Mantenna, and Modulok have some of the strongest designs of the entire MOTU world, and the fact that hey recall classic monsters like vampires and wolf men, makes them all the better. That is why Callix is a strong addition to the team, much more so than even guys like Dragstor, he fits that original motif. As I said before, his rocky facade recalls Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four, but both of these characters can find their origins in the classic Golem character, and Callix brings that strong archetype to MOTU really well.
There is not much if anything that you can nitpick about the sculpt of this figure; it is pretty flawless. I love that it captures his look from the MYP episode accurately, but it also improves on just about every facet. There is a lot of rocky detail with the cracks and crevices, and I LOVE his deep-set eyes. I am normally not a huge fan of the bios, but I like that he is characterized as a smart and solemn character, and his eyes really help sell that. Not to mention the fact that he can blast into pebbles and reform, so maybe he didn’t meet his bad end after only being on-screen for a few seconds. Live the adventures through your toys, kids, that is why they are here.
Anyhow, the shoulder pieces are reused from the original craggy Whiplash build, but the torso/neck overlay is all new (non-removable), as are the forearms, hands, hips, shins, and feet. The latter pieces also add a great amount of height to the figure, so he clocks in at one of the tallest in the line yet. He will stand over most of his Horde compatriots, but he still falls short of Lord Dactys at his full height. As I mentioned before, the head sculpt is really great and adds a ton of personality to character that could easily be passed as generic and boring — that is not the case here. I do want to add that while Callix is a very heavy figure, he is engineered well so all of his joints are strong and tight.
Additionally, the Horde patterning on his chest and waist are present, but the Horsemen took artistic license and changed those from light grey to more classic stone color to add contrast. Don’t get me wrong, I think being most monochromatic actually helps Callix’s design (that is a rare thing), so I would have been fine if it was kept to the source material, but I do like the change. Personally, I probably would have taken it one step further and made those areas the classic Horde red, but that is just a personal thing. Here is a bit of an adjustment to show it. What do you think? Too much? I am not quite sure yet. Anyway, it is an easy paint job if you want to change it.
Speaking of paint, there is actually quite a bit of it on the figure, considering Callix is mostly one color. There are lots of highlights and accents that are brought out by some subtle color differentiations. It is small, but it brings out a lot. Of course, there is the stone color and most of it is nice, but my one little niggle with the figure is that this one has a bit of the sandstone-colored slop here and there. It doesn’t play up much in real life, but you can definitely see it in the large pictures.
Finally, Callix comes with two weapons: a big stone axe and a shield. Both of these are nice and once again, the Horsemen found a way of repurposing one weapon so that it can also pass for the standard Horde crossbow. The axe has two handles so you can display it as the melee weapon or the Horde signature model. I do like the shield as well and Callix can yield it just fine, but I think I would have probably liked it to be just a bit bigger to fit in better with the stature of the figure. That is such a tiny nit because there is nothing at all wrong with the production piece.
Okay, the Club 200X is off to a, ahem, rocking start (I did it again, didn’t I?), and even in light of the really strong figures that have been released recently, Callix really stands out. He has been my most-wanted 200X character for a while and Mattel pretty much knocked him out of the park. It will be tough for the subsequent figures to live up to Callix, but I am positive the Horsemen are up to the challenge. This mini-sub will help fill in a lot of corners of the MYP world and guys like Callix will finally get a crack at being immortalized in plastic. After all this time, I am still so stoked for this line and it is figures like this that keep me coming back and wanting more. Callix will ship automatically to Club 200X subscribers next month and will also be available for day-of sales, so don’t bask too long in the afterglow of SDCC and remember to pick up this guy.
*Thanks for rocking out with us (again with the rock!), and thanks to Mattel for sending along this sample for preview. Up next: New Age women of MOTU finally get their due!
Additional Links
