We are counting the days down. The culmination of a promise fulfilled to complete the entire figure roster from the vintage Masters of the Universe line in the modern day Classics is quickly approaching, and in the next few months, those who were aboard this MOTUC train just for that vintage lineup will be able to smile and have a small sigh of relief. We are still left with unique character holdouts like Dragstor, but there are also several vintage line variants that need to be released so that we have the full lineup. One of those latter figures is shipping in just a few days and even before the figure was revealed, Buzz Saw Hordak has been a polarizing figure in the fan community. Well, you cannot be complete at a vintage level without him, so let’s see what makes him so divisive.
What makes this figure incite anger, apathy, and/or any other number of emotions amongst the collector sect? Well, I think that is a complicated question when you get right down to it. Sure, Buzz Saw Hordak is ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED to complete the vintage line, and anyone who says they would not have cared if he were never released, but at the same time call for the completion of the rest of the vintage line, is probably only kidding him/herself. Had that been the approach, it is probably a safe bet that the same people who are outspoken about not needing this figure would be the first to cry outrage if we did not get it. It happens a lot and that is the nature of the beast, so I would have been surprised to have it any other way.
So, if you take away the “he’s not really required, but in all actuality he is required” argument, what are you left with? Well, a lot still, I am afraid. Backlash to the concept of the figure also ranges from “uninteresting” or “not different enough” to “inaccurate” to “doesn’t come with the King Hssss torso,” so if you are looking to get to the bottom of a single main factor, I think you will be out of luck. The King Hssss torso issue is definitely the most prevalent right now because the recently announced solution to getting that piece to collectors does not include having it come with this Hordak as originally planned. I understand that is a raw point right now, but while that solution would have definitely added value to the overall release of this figure, it does not really impact the figure itself. Regardless of the fact that the torso would have been included with this figure, the figure itself would have been the same.
That leaves us with the aforementioned “not different enough” and/or “not vintage accurate” arguments. These, more than the others, I can see as having some validity to them. If you do a side-by-side comparison of vintage Buzz Saw Hordak (with his chest piece closed, obviously) and the standard version, they look pretty much the same. The only notable difference is that the belt on the Saw figure has a triangle motif, rather than the normal MOTU belt. So I can see that on the surface, they are not different. However, MOTU was a line that got further and further in its reliance on action features and gimmicks the longer it went, and Buzz Saw Hordak was one of the last figures in the line. So the play aspect was outweighing the design at the time, and Hordak’s overall visage was not altered all that much. However, if you display this figure with his chest cavity open (Rio Blast and Snakeface weep in envy), it makes him look quite a bit different than the standard version.
Ah, but that belt I just mentioned lends itself to the whole inaccuracy argument, and if I were looking for something to thumb my nose at with this figure, it would be that. The belt on the MOTUC version is not accurate to the vintage source in its design, and unless it was a basic cost-saving measure, I cannot think of any reason for it. I cannot say that I am fussed too much over it because that triangle pattern belt isn’t anything dynamic to begin with, but not having it match is a bit strange. Now, there are actually a lot of differences between the Classics standard and Buzz Saw Hordak (I will get to those in a moment), so even if the belt is not different, there are plenty of other things that ARE different. I am not defending the design choice in the belt one bit, so if the vintage inaccuracy gets you in a lather, I am cannot justify making an attempt to change that. Not that I would even want to.
Now, what is the point of all this comparison? Well, maybe I am reconciling my feelings on the figure overall to see where I stand with each point, and if these were the only things at play, I would land like this: I think this version of Hordak is absolutely required for the vintage completion, and the King Hssss torso is a series of unfortunate events with a transition, but my feelings about Buzz Saw Hordak were never dependent on the Hssss piece anyhow because I figured it would come with Perfuma; this figure is pretty similar to the standard, but that is not fault of the Classics design, and since I MUST have this to complete the vintage, I cannot have it both ways; and finally, the belt change is probably what gets me the most, but at the end of the day, it not really that big of a deal to me. However, those things are not the factors I have considered with this figure, and ultimately something a little less tangible has a bigger impact on my opinion of him.
See, if you combine the fact that Buzz Saw Hordak looks a lot like the regular Hordak, and that the former’s belt is not vintage-accurate, what I find I am left with is a better version of the standard Hordak form. Now, hear me out on this because I realize it sounds a bit strange. This figure, when the chest is closed, actually looks like a better Classics update of the vintage regular Hordak than the Classics regular Hordak. Does that make sense? The Classics Buzz Saw Hordak has brighter reds since, for some reason, early Classics figures were more muted, and I think that looks better; plus, the furry shorts are the short version like the vintage and by way of the belt being inaccurate to the vintage Buzz Saw Hordak, it is actually a perfect match to the standard Hordak. In fact, with the small exception of the lack of silver at the boot tops, I like everything about this figure as a standard vintage update more than the regular Classics Hordak. I know, it is kind of weird, but it actually really works and I always find myself gravitating to the positives with my toys.
Towards that end, with the exception of the that belt, I think this figure is actually really well executed. He actually has a chest cavity (it doesn’t shoot, however), his reds are brighter and even the grey in his skin looks better. Sure, because of the cavity, you lose the ab crunch articulation, but the standard Hordak ab crunch doesn’t work all that well anyhow. Plus, my regular Hordak has had floppy ankles since the day I opened him, so the strong joints on this figure are a definite improvement. Look, I am not trying to proselytize here with what I am going to use this figure for, but at the end of the day, I actually do like him. I know, say what you will, but he looks sharp to me, and definitely more vibrant.
Listen, I don’t believe that anyone, from fans to the Horsemen to Mattel, ever really thought that this would be the most exciting Classics figure ever, but if you want your vintage figure lineup, Buzz Saw Hordak is going to be a part of it. At the end of the day, it is a nice update (aside from the belt) to that figure and actually makes a good update of the regular Hordak too, at least for me. If you subbed, you knew you would be getting him, so he should start shipping very soon, he will also have day-of stock. Give this figure a chance on its own merits. I am not saying you need to be super excited, but it certainly has validity and a place in an updated vintage collection.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to the Matty team for sending this figure along for a preview. You can pick him up at Matty on August 17.
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