In arguably one of the biggest reveals of the entire 2015 San Diego Comic (for toys, at least), Mattel announced that they FINALLY have the rights to produce Thundercats action figures. They are letting the Four Horsemen loose to bring us a Matty Collector line in a Classics style similar to what they have done with their wildly popular Masters of the Universe line. I am so excited I can hardly stand it, and that enthusiasm is built purely on the three figures they have revealed thus far and the potential for what the line can bring us.
The first subscription is not up for sale yet as we are, unfortunately, still a year out from the first figure’s release date, but I would imagine we will be able to buy-in for a subscription sometime around Toy Fair in February. Now, if Mattel keeps with their new transparency model and follows the plans they laid out for MOTU Classics, we will know the entire lineup for the subscription before it goes on sale. Since the line does not begin until the second half of 2016, I think it is a pretty safe bet that we will be buying in for six monthly figures, plus the decayed-form Mumm-Ra sub exclusive. Since we have all the time in the world between now and then, I thought it might be fun to speculate about the potential lineup for the big first push and what characters might be likely for inclusion.
This first subscription is going to have to be a big splash. Mattel needs to get collectors hooked in, and the Matty team must show that the buying public is out there so they can start to go nuts on a full-year rollout. Thus, the first half-year lineup needs to be really strong, but a bit cautious as to not blow through all of the A-list characters right at the beginning. I expect that we will see some big guns to lure us in, but this is also a chance for Mattel to show the potential in bringing us things that we have never had before.
Taking what we know and attempting to balance out the rest of 2016, this is my stab at trying to figure out who will be included. Please keep in mind that this is pure speculation. It is just for fun and is completely hypothetical in its armchair-quarterbacking nature. The Thundercat’s roster is a lot bigger and more diverse than it gets credit for, so there is a certainly a large swath to choose from. Balancing that cast with the three characters already announced makes for deceivingly difficult task, especially if you are trying to account for all of the things that need to happen in the first six months.
So here is my proposed roster, by month, with the previously-announced Lion-O, Jackalman, and Decayed-Form Mumm-Ra built in.
July 2016: LION-O
We know this is happening. Even in the property itself was the only thing announced at SDCC and no figures were shown, we know that Lion-O will be first. There is no other character to start with, and since the Horsemen have completed his prototype, the Lord of the Thundercats cannot get here fast enough.
August 2016: JACKALMAN
Like with MOTU, the bad guys are my favorite for Thundercats, so I was absolutely thrilled to see this A-lister at Comic Con. He looks fantastic and I am so excited to build up the entire mutant troupe. I suppose there is a possibility that he might be released at a later month since no definitive information was given, but for now, I am keeping him in the second slot.
September 2016: BENGALI
Ah, now this is kind of an interesting pick, no? Bengali is one of the “new” Thundercats and certainly on most fans’ demanded list, but I think he falls a bit below A-list status. That being said, his overall design and vintage figure model makes his release in the first year intriguing. See, if Bengali is produced early on, that is like Matty and the Horsemen tipping their hats that Tygra is pretty much ready to go. Now, Bengali and Tygra are not straight-up repaints of each other, but there would be a LOT of part-sharing between the two, so Bengali could be a not so subtle hint that Tygra could be coming early on in the first full year. To me, it is kind of like getting an A-lister, without actually getting one. Either way, Bengali will be a really cool-looking figure.
Subscription Exclusive: “DECAYED FORM” MUMM-RA
The digital sculpt for this figure was shown at SDCC and it looks incredible. This makes for the perfect subscription figure and gives Mumm-Ra presence in the first sub, while still holding back on the “preferred” version.
October 2016: VULTUREMAN
In the mutant hierarchy of Third Earth, it goes S-s-s-lythe, Jackalman, Monkian, and then everyone else. However, Vultureman is right there on the cusp, and as far as the vintage toys were concerned, he was as prolific as just about anyone. I think Vultureman is a perfect fit for the first subscription because while he will make EVERYONE’s “Must Have” list, he allows us to save S-s-s-lythe and Monkian for later, and they had larger roles on the cartoon, at least early on. The Four Horsemen have certainly gotten their share of sculpting bird creatures over the last several years, so I am confident that Vultureman will really benefit from all of that experience. So I find him to be a great choice to stand beside Jackalman early in the line to take on Lion-O and . . .
November 2016: PANTHRO
Panthro! Okay, so I do think that we will need one more A-list character in the first subscription to make it a home run, and Panthro is my choice. Now, really, this slot could be filled by just about any A-lister, but I am picking Panthro because my own logic already eliminates Tygra and “Ever-Living” Mumm-Ra. Plus, he is my favorite Thundercat and I can be impatient waiting around. Honestly, I have never met any Thundercats fan who does not like Panthro, and he has a lot of great stuff going for him: his technical and fighting prowess, sagely wisdom, spiked suspenders, claw nunchucks, and a memorable cartoon voice. Plus, the young and headstrong Lion-O needs some experience to help him with those pesky mutants, so Panthro is the pick!
December 2016: WILLA
Wait, what? The hell you say! Okay, I am fully aware that some of you reading this right now are asking just who the hell this is, but give me a chance to make my case because this is actually my favorite pick of the entire lineup. If you don’t know who Willa is, go ahead and read up on her right now, we will wait. For those of you that do know this queen of the Warrior Maidens, I hope that you might be having that same “a-ha!” moment that I had whilst thinking this over. I think she is a really cool pick because she is a very popular character among the hardcore fans, and she never had a vintage figure. So, while most of the 2016 lineup will boast strong and new renditions of figures past, Willa would show that Matty is dead serious about going deep into this line and that they are willing to give us something we never had right from the get-go. For those of you who would scoff at ANY female coming into the line ahead of Cheetara, I ask that you kindly realize that you WILL get her no matter what, but, like it or not, she makes for a great hostage. Willa would instantly add diversity to your beginning T-Cats shelf, and most of her pieces could easily be reused to give us her sister Nayda. If she needed to be plussed-up a bit, maybe they could include one of the Berbils with her as a pack-in figure.
So those are my picks. Please sound off in the comments below to let me know yours! I think this is a very strong lineup for the first six months, but it also allows for many of the heavy-hitters to be spread out later in the line. Personally, I think the “Ever Living” Mumm-Ra figure would be the perfect place to kickoff 2017, so even if you don’t see your favorite character on here (I left off mine: S-s-s-lythe), have confidence that you should be getting him/her soon. Sigh . . . now we wait for next July. Hoooooooooo!
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