Fwoosh Face Off – Masters of the Universe Classics Whiplash

C’mon, this is really a no brainer. And I mean that in the sense of this being an easy choice, not in Ron’s characterization of the smarts of this particular interpretation of Whiplash. The classic head is far superior to the modern counterpart for a lot of reasons, primarily though is that he is one of the shining examples of what this line is trying to accomplish, executed flawlessly. Whiplash joins the Eternian Fraternity of characters that have been updated to great success, and he has a mug only a lizard-mother could love.

As a kid, one of the reasons I liked him so much was due to his unique look. I won’t even get into the fact that he had a “back tail” since this is a face off, but his thug mug was always very interesting to me. Tall and skinny with some funky teeth, he looked like he could clean your clock and then probably chew on your bones or something.

Cue 2010 and we now know that Whiplash is Skeletor’s Brute Squad Enforcer and can only be taken down by He-Man himself – last man standing! That is where his more brutish vintage head works so much better than the modern. He doesn’t look slow-witted as some would have you believe, he looks like he has had his face pulverized a few dozen times by various Eternian characters of ill rapport. Remember: not only does Whiplash have to take He-Man to task, but he also has to wrangle the rowdy denizens of Snake Mountain. When Clawful, Two-Bad and Stinkor go on a bender, you gotta have a badass that can give them a four-toed stompin’. Big, bad, battle-damaged Whiplash is the Sub-Ternian for job.

So, the classic head is unique and battle-hardened. I imagine if we ever get any other Caligars in the line, they will look very much like the modern head, best to give the O.G. a little more personality.

Whiplash will keep coming atcha’ to the very end, that is why his tough as nails classic head is better.

“200X” may evoke bad feelings for some Masters of the Universe collectors, and it’s certainly not looked upon favorably by Mattel – but that’s no reason to take it out on the alternate modern head provided with the Masters of the Universe Classics Whiplash.

Think back to 2003, when every toy store in the country was flooded with Smash Blade He-Man figures. Who were you, the long-suffering MOTU fan, looking for? It was the bad guys, like Trap Jaw, Two Bad, and Whiplash.

Those guys were all great. Mattel and the Four Horsemen really knocked it out of the park when it came to updating the monsters in the 200X line. And Whiplash was the best of the lot. Why, you ask – it was because of his awesome head sculpt.

When comparing the classic and modern heads, you’ll see that they share all the key features. They both have a central fin, horns, pointed ears, prominent brows, and the exaggerated under bite. What’s different is how those elements are combined. So while it’s true that the classic head really evokes the Whiplash figure from 1984, all that really means is that the brutish but more than a little slow Whiplash is back. Guess what – Skeletor already has Beastman for comic relief.

In contrast, one look at the modern head sculpt, and you just know that if the classic and modern Whiplashes were to meet in a back alley somewhere, modern Whiplash would beat the classic guy mercilessly, make some kickass boots out of his hide, and then go back inside to pick up Evil-Lyn and Teela for some too-hot-for-mini-comics fun.

Whiplash is a badass, not a dope – and that’s why the modern head is better.