As I sit here, eyes locked on my extensive Masters of the Universe Classics collection, I cannot believe, in the 100+ figures that we have gotten in the line, there is nary a Goblin, Orc, or Troll in the ranks. That makes the fantasy lover in me want to cry just a bit. Thankfully, Zombihamma/Castle of Power/Mat O’Toole has come through again and another geek breakdown/rage spree can be averted thanks to his tireless efforts.
Can you believe it, though? None of these classic fantasy races/archetypes have found a way into the MOTU Classics line yet. General Tataran and King Ahgo are available, so I will be keeping my fingers crossed that we might get a shot at them once the vintage sect is complete, but until then, I have now been well satiated in my need for a fantasy brute. This Orc, dubbed “Big Mouth” by Mat himself, is actually the second Orc venture by the Castle of Power, so if you missed that one, be sure to check out Matt K’s insane feature. I was a bit afraid of the paint work needed to adapt that one, but since Matt had the ingenious idea of using the Palace Guard body for the green skin, I need to go back and pick up one pronto.
Anyhow, this new Orc is something all its own, though, and it would make Peter Jackson himself pleased to see the design, and Mat ought to know. This guy is called “big mouth,” I assume, because he is mid-scream, and, from the looks of him, whoever is on the receiving end is about to have a very, very bad time. While the previous Orc makes for a good infantry man, this Orc is more of a “berserker” to me; the one that leads the charge with reckless abandon and gives no thought to his own safety, instead focusing purely on smiting his enemies. Now that I think of it, “Berzerk-Or” could be a good MOTU-style name for him.
When you order this kit from Castle of Power, you get three pieces: the head, the collar, and the wooden spear/totem piece. Mat does custom paint jobs, so you can request just about any color you want for this guy, and if you have a spare MOTU base body just lying around, this will be perfect for it. This particular piece is painted in the He-Man flesh tone, and it can be used on a myriad of bodies without any additional paint or modification. I am currently in the process of adapting a Geldor body for him, but for the purpose of this review, I wanted to use Vikor to show just how simple the kit actually is. I have not done any modifications to what you are seeing and pieces really come alive with a simple part swap.
If you are familiar with Mat’s work (and if not, SHAME!), you know that he turns out top-quality pieces. We are living in the amazing time of 3D printing and Shapeways, but Mat sculpts his pieces and casts and paints them all by hand, so there is a beautiful subtly to them, even in the midst of such a mean canvas. The head sculpt is quite detailed and pretty frightening in all of its Orc rage. My two-year-old daughter was quick to point out that he is obviously a “mean” guy while I was taking pictures of him, so the point has been made. I really love the paint job on the eyes too – it definitely adds to the crazy and bred-for-war aspect of the character.
The second piece is the collar/armor piece, and while it goes wonderfully with this entire kit, it could easily be used for another barbarian/fantasy character too. While the first Orc featured a large and imposing “metal” collar, and while this one is still imposing with the giant spikes, it is much smaller and more lightweight. It was not designed to be protection so much as it is to scare the s#!% out of an opponent, and if this guy wanted to lead with his right shoulder, I would not want to be in the way. The paint is really fantastic on this piece as well, and the horn, fur, metal, and leather pieces all look natural. I especially dig the shading on the spikes, you can tell that a lot of blood has run down them in the past.
The final piece might just be the most interesting one in the set: a wooden spike adorned with skulls. It is totally metal, and the configuration that Mat has created for it is about as badass as it gets. See, it can obviously be used as a wooden stake to impale oncoming enemies, but when not in use, it also make a frightening totem with the collected skulls of victims long passed. The collar piece has a space to actually hold this so it towers over the top of Big Mouth. Now, tell that isn’t the thing of nightmares, I dare you.
Like I said, I am working on a modified Geldor body (with the horrible fan handled, “duck feet”), but as you can see, this kit is pretty much plug and play and can fit with any collection. If you have not dipped your toe into the world of third-party accessories, this is a great place to start. Be careful, though. Before you know it, you will have several pieces on your shelf from the likes of Alessandra F, Orsogranito, Kevin Kosse, DJ Force, Joe Amaro and, of course, The Castle of Power. I happen to have it on pretty good terms that he might have a few more things in hopper that are sure to be popular.
This set is available now via the Castle of Power Facebook page, just check out the “About” section for ordering instructions.
*Thanks to Mat O’Toole for creating this dynamite piece, we cannot wait for more!
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