Have you been waiting in suspense long enough? Just in time for his on-sale date of 4/15, we submit for your approval this: your First Look at the brand spankin’ new Masters of the Universe Classics Sy-Klone figure. As the official cooling system for the Royal Palace (actually, that is not official, I just made it up), Sy-Klone is ready to take his place amongst your Heroic Warriors and bring the winds of change (heck yes you just got a Scorpions reference) to the battle ever-lasting on Eternia. Will you welcome him with open (and spinning) arms, or will you follow a dark Eternian tradition of spurning the mysterious Gar people? C’mon now, blue can do!
Like most of the characters debuting in the MOTUC line, Sy-Klone (who goes by the much more imposing handle of “Devastator” on the vintage foreign cards) gets a revamp of his vintage roots along with some new background to his characterization. Remember, the MOTUC storyline and mythos is being built mostly off of what was established in the 1980s so now gone are the 200x cyborg and samurai elements. I personally never really thought of him as a cyborg at any time in my personal Masters mythos so for my purposes, that has never really been an issue. However, the whole samurai element from the MYP cartoon felt really forced to me as I always thought of him as being more in-tune with the surrounding cosmos of Eternia (the whole lenticular thing) rather than a feudal fighting metal man. I mean, a blue guy that spins is now a samurai guy too? Even the MOTU world that feels tacked on. I know some people wanted to see the 200x influence in the head sculpt, but that is probably being saved for a different version on down the line. And he is certainly a good candidate for it as the design differences are many so, like Clawful in July, I think both of these guys will change their looks for a later release.
But enough of what this figure is not, how about what he is? Well, he is a lot like the MOTUC Buzz-Off I have to say. Not that they look anything alike, but Sy-Klone is another one of those figures that has made me like the character more because he is so well done. Like I have mentioned before, I have always been more of a fan of the Eternian bad guys and when I was a kid, Sy-Klone just felt pretty thow-away to me – fodder for Webstor’s grappling hook more often than not. But with the work that the Four Horsemen have done here, this Gar is star and adds a lot of new elements to your Masters shelf.
As mentioned above, after much fan speculation, Sy-Klone’s bio does confirm that he is indeed of the Gar race (like half of Keldor) and well, this son of Dy’Lex seems to be the last of ‘em. He has upped his tech armor (once used to “terrorize” Eternia) and the bio talks about the destruction of the Legacy Stones and how Sy-Klone’s mission is now “complete”. I am not sure exactly what that means, but we will probably learn more in upcoming bios, and Sy is now a Master and fights against the half-Gar that still sees fit to terrorize Eternia. This biographical point was how his story worked out in the MYP cartoon, so he is not without his 200x influence. I am most interested to learn why the Gar race has a history of hatred (and vice-a-versa) to other races on Eternia, but it obviously has some devastating results on the planet and its people. Would Keldor have even been motivated to take the path he chose if not for the xenophobia of the Royal Court? When did this happen? What’s with Miro? I know, this is Sy-Klone’s First Look, but these are the questions I want answered. And I want a Miro figure. But not until I can get one in Filmation stylings. Anyway…
As you can hopefully see, this figure will really pop on the toy shelf and when he is assembled with the rest of the Heroic Warriors, he can stand out even in that colorful crowd. To get this out of the way right now: as far as I can tell, Sy-Klone’s shoulders are assembled CORRECTLY. I am absolutely positive if I am seeing that incorrectly someone will call it out, but they look right to me. Also, the figure does indeed have the “Keldor” feet as opposed to the “Bow” feet from the prototype. I have no idea why this was changed, but I don’t think it makes a huge aesthetic impact past adding more boot variety to the line. I smell an Ask Matty question. The nice part is that, like Bow and Vikor, the ankle pegs are completely hidden.
What we do get for the figure though is a fantastic update to everything that made Sy-Klone a unique figure way back in the day. But the thing is, the Four Horsemen have accomplished so much of this based on existing parts and re-use, but you would really never know it. I think that is an area that the 4H don’t get enough credit, if that is possible. We have grown so accustomed to great sculpts that we often forget that there is a lot of creative DESIGN that goes into so many of these pieces; design that works great for them, Mattel and us. I remember before Sy-Klone was revealed there was a lot of online chatter about how he would have to take a major tooling slot in a given year due to his unique parts (his chest, etcetera). However, by doing some creative things, the Horsemen have moved this figure from a major expense to about a medium position, as he certainly seems like he has a lot fewer new pieces than say, King Hsss. For example, instead of having an all new torso to accommodate his unique chest, the effect is achieved just be adding a new upper piece that fits over the standard abs (and retains as much movement as any other figure). Those tricky Horsemen, they will getcha.
I really love the lenticular “cosmic” sticker and Mattel has recreated the vintage modeling perfectly for this. It works in four parts and I have tried to capture them individually in pictures, hopefully you can see the difference in each stage. On his back he has a spot for his 200x ring that can stand up, come partially over his shoulders or be detached completely for use a weapon. I know this addition is one of the favorites among the 200x innovations so for those into it, it is nice that it has been included here as a second accessory of sorts. I have not decided if I am going to display him with it on or not, but right now I am leaning towards leaving it off. It is a very nicely done piece and I get the functionality of it, but it does make him a lot bulkier, so I don’t know. Decisions, decisions. I am not completely convinced that it works as a weapon either, but it is a cool idea and if you choose to use it as a weapon, Sy-Klone can get into some dynamic poses with it. He also gets a modern upgrade to his vintage shield, and it looks exactly how it should and exactly how you would expect. The color of the shield is a much more muted yellow than that used on the actual figure; I was not expecting this, I guess I just assumed it would be the same yellow, but it adds a little variety. The combination of the ring and the shield make a lot of sense for Sy-Klone’s function, especially since there is no way he would be able to see anything while spinning like a dervish.
There are a few other design nuances that should be noted as well. First, ALL of the joints on this particular figure, from the neck to the ankles are very tight, so that is very good. The little raised fins on the arms don’t restrict the articulation as they are only attached to the biceps pieces, which is a nice touch seeing how it was a cause for concern back in the speculation days. He also has the ringed boots, which are, of course, new and even though he has lost his action feature, he still has his “dial” on his belt. As you can see, there is a lot to like about the figure, but in terms of sculpt, my favorite part is actually his head, as strange as it might sound. I know Sy-Klone has always been known to have a rather placid look to him, but therein lies some very nice subtleties. His look is cool and contemplative, which is kind of neat for a guy that can unleash some serious havoc. I LOVE how they matched the blue in his face exactly to Keldor’s complexion. Aside from it being a very vivid hue, it adds a nice cohesion to the line, even if our possibilities for other Gar figures are few. I do have a little red bleed onto the yellow plastic at the forearms, but it is very little. I am always worried about this effect anytime yellow plastic is used on a figure, and this is some BRIGHT yellow plastic. I have a feeling though that it will vary from figure to figure, hopefully without something too tragic.
April is a very exciting month for the MOTUC line and Sy-Klone will be joining Panthor and the Castle Grayskull Weapons Rack in the release queue. Once again, the Horsemen have given us an upgrade to a character that is superior to the vintage counterpart in every way, but still respects the fantastic source material. His vivid reds, yellows and blues will bring a primary-colored shot in the arm to your display shelf and if you have a mini Anwat-Gar in your backyard, the housing crisis is finally over there. I know that we are getting smacked with tons of new MOTUC news (with more on the way soon with the SDCC reveals), but be sure not to forget about this figure (if you don’t have a subscription) as you will be denying yourself some good times running around your house spinning Sy-Klone to the sound of “FWOOSH”, like I know you will. Thanks for stopping by, man I cannot wait May now. CATRA!
*Thanks so much to Toy Guru, Fangirl 2.0 and Rhobyn for making this First Look possible. I know they have been on a, ahem, WHRILWIND tour lately…
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