Nobody takes pot shots at Lubic! All right, speakers! You wanna play games? Let’s play!
Well, no one will be taking pot shots at Lubic anymore at least — thanks to JimPansen Creations! Yep, the “Detective” is the latest to get the 3rd Party accessory kit treatment, and JimPansen has treated him in fine style. Even amongst guys like Karg, Blade, and Gwildor, Lubic remains one of the most memorable characters from the 1987 MOTU movie, and he certainly runs circles around any of the other featured Earthlings.
I have made it clear in the past that I love the MOTU movie: it is unlike anything else in the MOTU pantheon and its wildly different take makes the overall mythos that much more interesting. Thus, it is a shame that, as of right now, Mattel is not allowed to make figures of anything related to the movie, with the exception of the three characters that had figures back in the 80s. So, guys like the Langella Skeletor, Karg, and our dear Lubic are strictly off limits. Well, I have a said it before and I will say it again, thank goodness for the amazing talents and ingenuity of Masters fans.
JimPansen Creations has made a new “plug and play” custom head that can have just about any MOTUC base body ready to transform into the surly but forthright detective. Lubic has a pretty proud cult following (yours truly included), so when I saw that they were making this, I knew I had to get one. The best part is that it is up for sale at their store on Facebook so if you are looking at rounding out your MOTU movie display (and you really should), head over there now and get this vivacious chrome dome.
If you are familiar with the work done by JimPansen Creations, you know it is top drawer. We have covered their Bruce Timm He-Man, mini-comic Clamp Champ, vintage Fisto and Jitsu and Conan kits, and this take on Lubic keeps the tradition of creativity and quality going. If you think about it, getting a custom Lubic head sculpt means you are getting, well, a bald guy with a surly disposition. I know, it sounds pretty simple, but getting a likeness down for a 3-D representation with little in terms of iconic features is no easy task. However, everything from the slight point of the head to the annoyed expression has been captures perfectly here. I REALLY like the expression, while it is “in the moment,” it also works really well for an overall portrayal of Lubic.
I must say that I find it “choice, really choice” and since Lubic is about the most quotable character in the entire movie, I have been reliving some of his best scenes since this kit arrived at my house. The sculpt is also very clean and the details and shaping are very crisp so he fits in perfectly with the rest of the Classics figures. It is very well proportioned even on the very muscular MOTU body, and you don’t have to do much at all to have this piece fit right in. JimPansen has sent old Lubic through the old “Classicizer” perfectly.
The craftsmanship carries over the paint work as well, and that is so nice because you don’t have to do ANYTHING for this piece to be ready for your collection. Well, aside from assigning a base body, but we will get to that in a moment. While Lubic’s head is pretty monochromatic on the surface, looking at the close-up pictures, you can see there is a lot of paint detail. The colors in the eyes (a particularly difficult place to paint) are crisp and clean, and the eyebrows and lips carry a subtle coloration that helps them stand out from the flesh tone. There are also care lines around the eyes, so you can see that Lubic has had a pretty stressful time since trying to run down those crazy Eternians. Overall, I am really quite pleased with all of the work put into this piece, even the light bounces off of his dome perfectly.
Now, if you order this Lubic kit, you are going to need a base body for it, unless you are into the whole disembodied head thing. There are some options out there, and JimPansen’s page has an interesting take combining Eldor’s body with Dekker. If you are going for the “Earth” look he had for most of the movie (the tie and trench coat), I think the Eldor sleeves are a good start, the Eternia Palace Randor robe could make for a good overlay, too. In the end though, you are going to have to get kind of creative to pull that outfit together.
I decided to go in a different direction and made a base inspired from his Eternian outfit that Lubic wears at the end of the movie. There are a couple of reasons for this — first, since most of my Classics adventures take place on Eternia, I think this would be the outfit Lubic would be wearing for most of those stories. Also, being perfectly honest, I was able to identify the pieces for this look from (mostly) existing Classics parts. The base is most the Eternia Palace Randor with Zodac legs and boots, a sash from the old Marvel Legends Warbird and some metal doodads from a craft store. I just painted the pieces to match the coloring and bam — easy-peasy Eternia Lubic is ready to, well, be an advisor, I guess, and take out bad guys with a shot gun. Personally, I am really digging this look and I am glad I went in this direction.
I really cannot express how pleased I am with this kit and how happy I am that Lubic is now a permanent part of my Classics collection. It took a really, REALLY talented village, but thanks to Joe Amaro, Mat O’Toole and JimPansen Creations, we finally have all of the meaningful unique movie characters – I mean, I am not seeing a huge demand out there for Kevin, Julie, or Charlie, but I would not count them out yet. Saurod will finally arrive from Mattel this year, so that will make for a very cool little assortment. Head on over the JPC Facebook page, and order your Detective kit, you will be VERY glad you did!
*Thanks to JimPansen Creations for making this very awesome piece, I cannot wait to see with they are cooking up next!
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