So… a lot has happened in the world of Masters of the Universe Classics since the last time we brought you a new First Look. Most notably, we have seen the reveal of several new figures at the New York Comic Con virtual experience, so that takes us up through the middle of next year in terms of knowing what is coming in Club Eternia. The biggest news, or dare I say shock, however, came in the form of the resignation of Scott “Toy Guru” Neitlich from Mattel. I am still processing the overall impact this might have on the line, but I do want to take a moment and thank Scott for all that he did for the line and fans, even through all of the ups and downs. I will probably have more to say on that matter in the near-ish future, but before he left, Scott did send out a new round of upcoming figure for First Looks, so we are going hit the ground running with the second-to-last Snake Man to enter the line: Tung Lashor.
I know that early previews of the MOTUC line have been a staple of its regular calendar cycle since the beginning of the line, however, with Scott’s departure, the future is currently uncertain, but once I get confirmation either way as to how things will proceed, I will be sure to let you know. So, if this is (possibly) our last round, it is certainly going to be a big final act as so many of these characters have been demanded for a very long time. I have personally been VERY excited for this group of characters since we saw their full debuts at SDCC back in July, so it seems like we have been waiting an eternity to add them to the shelves. The vintage lines are quickly filling out to completion and Tung Lashor is certainly one of the biggest guns to hold out for so long, but in less than a month, he will be home.
Growing up, I was the happy owner of all the vintage Snake Men, save for Snake Face. Even though they were the least established faction with MOTU for most people (due to a VERY scant representation on the cartoons), I always valued them as great parts of my collection. Rattlor and Tung Lashor were by far and away my two most favorite figures of the group, and looking back on it now, I am quite positive that Tung Lashor got the most play out of the entire group. A big part of my MOTU play habits and character fondness came right from the colors and designs of the figures, and there has always been something about Tung Lashor that really clicked for me. Looking back on it now, I can see that he doesn’t really look like a snake, but that okay, he is dubbed a “snake man creature” and a cool figure is a cool figure, no matter the association.
Sure, Tung (as he was called in the Filmation universe) always had a fun and unique action feature, but it really was the colors that first got me on board with the figure as a child. The purple flesh with salamander-like markings was totally unique to me and the fact that a snake guy could be purple was pretty mind-blowing for a 5-year-old. He and Rattlor looked so evil that I knew that no one would want to be friends with them or team up, so I often had them fighting together, on their own as kind of a wildcard team with no friends on the good or evil side. King Hssss always kind of just sat back and watched, and Sssqueeze was such a frustrating figure for me, he rarely got any play at all. Tung Lashor, though? He was always in the throng.
So, just like all good Classics figures, Tung Lashor takes the good parts of the vintage figure and amps them up to new heights while improving on the standard areas like sculpt and articulation. So, as you can plainly see, that color combination that attracted my eye as a pup is made even better and brighter giving him a look that is almost psychedelic. Indeed, if you have burnt out old hippie uncle, he might want to lick your Classics figure if he ever gets a chance to ogle your collection. Anyway, the purple used for his flesh tone is one of the most striking colors utilized in the line so far and in a group of figures that are mostly green and orange and red, Tung Lashor is going to instantly stand out. I know it almost sounds trivial praising something as seemingly simple as color choice, but I love this choice an awful lot, and, somehow, it complements the other gaudy colors that make up the rest of this guy.
After the pinkish-purple, orange and black are the most prevailing colors on Tung Lashor, and the former makes up a large swath of an all-new torso. I was not sure that the Classics Tung Lashor figure would get a unique torso, even though the vintage figure had one, but I am glad that they spent the money to bring it home. The musculature is slightly less humanoid than a standard MOTUC base, and a new piece gives us cause to get his Snake Man symbol raised off of his chest, instead of just being painted on. When I first saw the figure at SDCC back in July, I was not sure if the neck portion was a part of the swappable heads or the body, and as it turns out, they are indeed a part of the torso sculpt. This fact, coupled with the Snake Men emblem, makes it a challenge to get any kind of reuse out of this piece, but if we get past 2015, perhaps it could be used on a figure of the new mini-comic Fang-Or character. I do want to note that I am glad they kept the proportion of the vintage figure rather than skewing more toward the “Fatter” MYP build. Tung Lashor barely holds course as a “snake” man, and that look just made him even more derivative (like a lot of those designs).
The other parts that make him stand out from the rest of the pack are his new feet and very unique hands/gloves. Now, while these were certainly unique pieces on the vintage Tung Lashor figure, Classics follows the same pattern, but amps them up a bit. Of course, there is added detail, but the fingers and the toes have both been elongated and made more fantastical than they were on the 1980s figure. At first, this was pretty jarring to me, and when pictures of Tung Lashor were leaked just prior to the start of the convention, it was those that kept me from saying with 100 percent certainty that the pictures were legit. However, now that I have gotten used to them, I am enjoying the uniqueness of them.
Now, the defining trait of the vintage Tung Lashor figure was that he had a tongue that, well, lashed. It was very action feature-intensive and, if you remember, his tongue extended and retracted via a dial on his back. This has, of course, been eliminated in lieu of recreating the effect by supplying two different heads: one with the tongue safely away and one with the tongue out there for everyone to see (and be grossed out by). The sculpting on both heads is, of course, stellar and the Horsemen yet again find the perfect way to balance homage and improvement. The tongue will be the most heated topic of conversation with this figure, though, but, to be honest, I think the correct stylistic choice was made. Essentially, we have been given a hybrid design of the vintage and MYP tongue. It is colored in a gradient dark to light green with a very pronounced fork and two spikes (teeth?) about halfway down. It is not ridiculously exaggerated like the MYP version, so it holds the basic proportional length of the vintage figure, but the embellishments and details favor the more modern update. My thought is that the vintage tongue design was created to achieve the action effect, so this is really the evolution of that tongue, with the 200x spikes tossed on. The vintage plastic film tongue would not have fit this figure, nor would the giant version from MYP, so I find this to be a happy medium. Your preference will surely vary on this, but like I said, I am positive it will be hotly debated.
Tung Lashor also includes his two vintage weapons: a purple repaint of the standard-issue snake staff and his cool dragonfly crossbow. You have seen the staff before, but it does look good in the dark purple and it fits his overall palette; I do have to say that while he can hold it, he cannot do so as securely as a standard MOTUC grip hand. The more impressive weapon is his crossbow and it remains one of my favorite Masters weapons. I suppose that this just kind of reinforces that fact that his design does skew a little more frog/salamander/lizard than snake, but Snake Men can be a diverse bunch too. It is finished in a pearlescent blue that looks really, really nice. I should also mention that he comes with a Horde armband that I will never use on this figure. I know that Filmation lore and Classics canon has made his (and Rattlor’s) defection a part of the history, but that is something that I have personally stricken from all records. A Snake Man is a Snake Man and would rather die than join the Horde (or anyone else). At the very least, it can go nicely on another figure that is a true Hordsemen.
2014 is off to a fantastic start in its winding down of the year. Rio Blast was the last vintage MOTU figure we got prior to Tung Lashor, and I think that most fans will consider this November-shipping figure to be more of a Classics success. His colors set him apart and his unique, fairly un-snake-like appearance means that he will stand out even amongst his own kind. You can see the light at the end of the snake tunnel, and with this release, June 2015’s Sssqueeze will wrap up the vintage Snake Men. Unless I am incorrect, that will be the first faction to cross the finish line, so cheers to those that slither on their bellies!
*Thanks for reading and thanks to the crew at Mattel for sending along this figure for a First Look, we will have more very soon. To Toy Guru: thanks for everything and good luck on your next adventure. Good Journey!
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