If you don’t like the Masters of the Universe movie, then I would have to say that you are acting like a togtum [sic]. Unfortunately, to this day the movie remains one of the most underrated corners of MOTU lore, so if you have never seen it, or if you have previously dismissed it, I implore you to go back and take a look at it. If you do appreciate the movie, then you will know what I am talking about that, even though we don’t get to spend very much time on Eternia, there are so many cool things to love about the movie. Man-at-Arms, Teela, the Sorceress, and Evil Lyn are all great, Frank Langella’s Skeletor is absolutely legendary, and the new enemies (despite being facsimiles of original Skeletor henchmen) are very memorable. There is a character, however, that is pretty polarizing in terms of characterization, or even his very existence: the Thenurian locksmith Gwildor. He is the subject of this feature and no matter your feelings about the guy, if you are a 2014 Club Eternia subscriber, he will be shipping to your door just in time for the holidays.

Despite not having so much about the MOTU world that I love, I have always been a big fan of the movie. I love so many of the designs, the acting, and the characters. My favorite part of MOTU has always been the bad guys, so I was treated to a smorgasbord of fun in old faces like Skeletor, Evil Lyn, and Beast Man, but also with the great newcomers Blade, Saurod, and Karg. Now, back in the ’80s, Mattel only produced figures of Blade and Saurod for the bad guys, and, unfortunately, that is the only way we are able to get a Classics figure is if the character had a figure back then. Blade has already joined the throng, and we know Saurod will be coming in 2015, but my dear Karg is going to go forever undone, unless, of course, something changes. I might have to do something about that…

Anyhow, the heroic Gwildor also got a unique figure after the release of the movie, so we always knew he would get his shot in Classics. A character in the same mold as Orko, Gwildor provided a good deal of comic relief during the movie, but also a lot of its heart and much of its wisdom. As a kid, I liked Gwildor, and even though I usually collected the bad guys, Gwildor was the first movie figure I got as a kid. I still find him unique and endearing today and finding a little niche in my own story of Masters of the Universe for him is fun because he opens up a lot possibilities in time and space. The vintage figure was a bit of departure from the movie design, but as you can see in the pictures, if you were left disappointed by that fact, after nearly 30 years, Classics brings your chance for vindication.

As a fan of Gwildor, I am absolutely thrilled with this figure. There is going to be some discussion around the figure in terms of his “Classics” adaptation, but I think the Four Horsemen knocked him right out of the park, even in the face of Cornboy’s known aversion to the character. A 100 percent new figure with absolutely no reused tooling, Gwildor got slotted in the special holiday slot so that he could be done correctly. For being such a small figure, there is a lot going on in terms of sculpt and detail, but he also includes three substantial accessories to help him pass at the higher price point. He comes boxed in the Orko/Marlena/Ram Man card, so while his stature is small, he gets a package upgrade.

Now, Mattel is going to tell you that Gwildor is a bit of hybrid of the movie and toy design, and while I can definitely see some of the toy influence coming out in the Classics figure, there is certainly more pronounced influence from the film, and, for that, I am thankful. I mean, just look at the head sculpt on him — he is pretty much the spitting image of Billy Barty (well, Barty underneath all of that makeup), and the detail in the face is pretty crazy. Most of the figures in the MOTU Classics line skew towards having a “toylike” aesthetic when it comes to their feature, but every wrinkle and care line in Gwildor’s face has been brought out in the this sculpt.

For being a little hobbit guy with gill slits, it makes for a pretty gorgeous figure, and just about every single orange hair on his head is painstakingly recreated on the figure too. Now, some might make the argument that all of this detail is not in the vein of the Classics aesthetic, especially if you put Gwildor next to a figure like, say, Madame Razz. Now, I can see that point; however, I don’t  think that he looks out of place amongst the rest of the figures and he should certainly have more hair and wrinkles than just about anyone else.

 

Something I do want to point out with this particular sample is that the paint in the eyes does not match one another. The right eye has a smaller iris that is kind of floating off into a sidelong focus. Now, at first I thought it was a painting error, and while that might be the case, I am not completely sure of that. See, the Gwildor makeup gave the right eye a bit of a squint that made it almost look like a lazy eye compared to the left. It fit the older Gwildor so well that I did really think anything of it until I got this figure. Now, if this paint was a factory flub, then it was pretty serendipitous because it recreated the look well. I will have to see if this is intentional or a one-off when my sub figure gets here, but it certainly does give this figure a lot of personality.

So, while the head sculpt is lifted (pretty much) completely from the movie, the body and robes take cues from both the movie and the vintage figure. The shape and detail really skew more towards the movie design, but you can see a lot of the color matches from the old figure. The detail in the robes is pretty stunning, and Gwildor has a lot of little chains and treasures stored in his pockets. The patterning is taken, presumably anyway, from the movie design (it is hard to catch in any frame) because none of the little details are present in the vintage figure.

Now, due to his shape and stature, you knew that Gwildor would not follow he same articulation scheme as a standard MOTUC figure. If you have Madame Razz, his points follow her articulation more closer than, say, He-Man. This is fine because while that means he has less articulation than Classics is accustomed to, he is not exactly going to be doing any physical fighting any time soon. For the important points, he has ball shoulders, hinge-and-swivel elbows, swivel wrists, hinge hips, and boot twists; he does have the standard ball-joint neck, but his beard inhibits most of the movement.

Gwildor also comes with three accessories: the Cosmic Key in vintage toy colors, the Cosmic Key prototype, and his walking stick/staff. If you have Preternia He-Man, you know what you are getting in the key, but I happen to like the movie colors better, so I will be giving Gwildor the older accessory. The color scheme is a nice homage to the original toy, though. The prototype key is pretty cool too and it is nice and big. I will probably use this as a more powerful key that is built into the Central Tower of Eternia to help make it the nexus of travel for the Masters, and to ensure that it is NOT in Castle Grayskull to compromise its security. The staff is a great addition too since Gwildor used it throughout the entire movie, and there is a lot of great little details on it throughout.

Now, I am going to go off script for a minute. I am pretty sad that Mattel did not include one of Gwildor’s most iconic accessories: his bucket of Robby’s Ribs (and chicken!). After landing on Earth, Gwildor used his grappling gun to pilfer some food from a couple of unsuspecting lovers and proceeded to eat the ribs and drink the barbecue sauce. Now, when he was caught by Man-at-Arms (he was going to share, he was going to share!), he stopped stuffing his face when he learned that the ribs used to be an animal. It was a memorable scene and probably one of the funniest of the entire movie.

Fortunately, I am friends with some VERY talented people, and Ibentmyman-thing came to the rescue once again and sculpted-up a bucket for me. As you can see, it fits in perfectly! Needless to say, my Gwildor will be standing with his ribs for all time, and guess what — yours can do the same! Yep, benty has made these babies available at his eBay store and he has a few pieces available now. So, if you are interested in getting one, go check them out while they are still in stock:

EBAY LINK

But hold on just a minute — we are going to do one better for one lucky reader: we are giving away a FREE bucket of ribs for one of our lucky readers! Yep, just read the rules below and you should have your bucket ready for when Gwildor arrives in December.

Everyone’s favorite Thenurian has finally arrived and he has done so in fine fashion. The Horsemen really put a lot of thought and detail into this little guy and I think most collectors are going to be welcoming him with open arms. Like I said, go check out the movie; it holds up well and is very entertaining to watch, and Gwildor is a big part of that. Since he is coming soon, that leaves Saurod as the last movie figure, and he will be joining us in 2015, so that is something to be excited about. If you are not a Club Eternia member, don’t worry, Gwildor WILL have day-of-sale merchandise, so you can order him on December 15th.

*Thanks for reading and thanks to the Mattel team for sending Gwildor along for a First Look! Read on for the chance to win your own bucket of ribs accessory!

Additional Links

• Discuss this article
• Visit Benty’s eBay store

“Bucket of Ribs” Giveaway Drawing

Please read the following entrance criteria and rules very carefully so that your entry will count!

Entrance Criteria

To enter, simply respond to this article below using the “Leave a Reply” function. In your reply, tell us what you think about Gwildor and why his “bucket of ribs” is such an important accessory. It can be anything, we just want to hear your thoughts.

• The drawing will be open to everyone (excluding staff, holders, and employees of TheFwoosh.com).
• You MUST include a valid email address when you respond (the winner will be contacted via email).
• You must be over 18 to enter.
• Entries thought to be outside of the above criteria may be removed from consideration without the entrant being notified.

Prize Drawing

1 (ONE) winner will be drawn AT RANDOM from the respondents and the chosen winner will receive 1 (ONE) copy of the “Bucket of Ribs” custom by Ibentmyman-thing.

Fine Print

• The entry period will end at 11:59:59 pm CDT on Friday, October 31, 2014. No entries will be accepted after that time.
•  Shipping will be free to the winner. If you are unwilling or unable to meet these criteria, your prize will be forfeit and another winner will be selected.
•  The selected winner will be contacted via email (the email attached to the reply) and he/she will have 48 hours to respond with their shipping information. If you do not respond within 48 hours, you will be disqualified and we will randomly select another winner.
•  Staff members at TheFwoosh.com, are not eligible for this contest (sorry, guys!)
•  By accepting the prize, the winner agrees to hold TheFwoosh.com and their respective directors, officers, employees, and assigns harmless against any and all claims and liability arising out of the use or redemption of the prize.
• This is a handmade custom and is not a toy; it is intended for collectors 18 years and older.
• This is an original custom and resemblance to an actual bucket of ribs or logo is completely coincidental and not intentional.