We have arrived at the end of an era. For better or for worse, as of this month, Masters of the Universe Classics has accomplished something that few in our ranks could have imagined possible when the line started all the way back in 2008: the vintage Masters character lineup is now complete. Ironic that the turbo-charged Hordesman would be the last over the finish line, but Dragstor completes the roster for the holy of holies in Classics. No matter what, the line will be different after this, and while we turn our eyes for what is coming next (as always), November 2015 is a time to take stock of how far we have come.
That was a bit weightier in terms of a lead-in than I was originally going for, but Dragstor represents a major mile marker for MOTU Classics, so the thin slice of finality he brings is pretty remarkable. Don’t worry, though, this is an article about the figure itself, not a celebration (or possibly eulogy) of Classics; no indeed, dear friends, that will be coming soon enough, so don’t worry. I know that the Laser figures are not going to hit until December, but they fit more with Tytus and Megator as far as being TECHNICALLY vintage, but not really for most people. So, we know what Dragstor represents as far as his place in the line as whole, but how does the figure fare in its purist form — as an update to the vintage action figure? Well, it seems fitting that the figure whose position in the line will elicit a lot mixed emotions will likely do the same for its own merits because Dragstor is truly a mixed bag.
That last point is not anything enlightening, or even original because when you consider action figures, most are mixed bags in terms of execution: there are very VERY few released that are completely flawless, or wholly so, so Dragstor certainly fits with the plastic majority. However, I make the point because it seems that for all his strengths and weaknesses, the final execution of figure highlights those points more obviously than most that we tend to see. As seems to be the case here, I actually really like what is done well, but I find myself questioning the missteps (as seen exclusively from my vantage point) more so than usual. I am still reconciling why that is exactly, but suspect it has to do mostly with the fact that the shortfalls are self-inflicted, rather than a production issue. I will get to that.
All that said, I don’t find Dragstor to be a complete failure or an egregious strike against fandom at large (as I have read on these Internets already) in terms of his action-figure-ness. Sure, he is not going to rank in my top best of the line, of the year, or even of the quarter, but at the end of the day, this figure is still an okay representation of the character on my shelf. Not great, but okay, and that might be indicting enough for some to dismiss a figure that costs a premium, and that is fine. For me, though, even though I see the individual flaws very clearly, the sum of the parts is still mostly fine. I know that seems odd, but since I am a person in my early 30s who collects plastic idols of my childhood, I am not going to indulge that smaller point of strangeness much, if at all.
So here it is: overall, this figure goes into my collection as an acceptable Classics study of Dragstor. You bet your furry shorts he could be better, but for lack of particular attachment to the character or simply passing the overall eye test, I am taking him. Dragstor has always been pretty derivative in his car-man design, and that is saying a lot since we are talking about MOTU here, but for what it is, it is basically accomplished here. From an aesthetic standpoint, he is mostly faithful to the original, and he has some fine details as well. Of note, his turbo backpack is very well done and looks really cool, and his “wheel,” while being non-functional, is rendered nicely with a material upgrade to a softer rubber to represent the tactile essence of a tire, something this has over the vintage.
Some of the other parts are fine to the point of being serviceable, and mostly non-offensive. His head sculpt hits all of the required notes without being terribly exciting, and his overlay “rig” is correct, as are his boots, gloves, and thigh guards. Some of those things have issue unto themselves, but each has points that work for the figure. Dragstor’s color scheme is an odd mélange of almost random warms and colds, especially for a member of the Horde, but the navy, red, orange, silver, and black find a way to work, and at the very least, he holds that combination as his own.
Past those points, we get into a bit more trouble with what is offered for the figure, and as I said, some of the things just seem odd for a MOTU Classic, since, at a concept stage, things are usually rendered so perfectly. Some of those things fall at the feet of this figure on its own, but a big one is partially an instance of perfect hindsight. Of course, you know that is around his “wheel” and vintage action feature, and its overall lack of conception on this modern figure. I know, this is naturally expressing my opinion with a bit more importance, so telling people “what should have been,” but this figure doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
While I am not one to take the past as opportunity to look back and crack, Dragstor was released in the post-Buzz Saw Hordak world. As much as the idea of even getting that figure turned a lot of collectors off, it was very well executed and his unique chest that allows for the Buzz Saw feature opened the door to extensive action feature compensation in Classics, even if they come at a higher price. So, in this time, I wanted to see Dragstor’s wheel be an actual working wheel within a new torso. I get that it would cost more, and I would lose the ab joint in the process, but neither of these things were detrimental (to me anyway) in the case of Buzz Saw Hordak, so the same would hold true here – more so, actually. The overlay used on this figure to recreate the look of the wheel rig is big and bulky, and it inhibits the abdominal movement anyway, so it feels like a non-starter. Again, this is just my preference, so yours is likely to differ.
Beyond the logistical and financial constraints of literally recreating the wheel, some of the other design choices just do not resonate with me. The fact that the torso is cast in black rather than the vintage-accurate blue is just very, very odd to me, and I don’t think we have heard the reasoning behind it one way or another. Something like that is not a deal-breaker, especially since the navy and black are close in shade, but I almost wonder if it was a color-matching SNAFU at the factory or even the prototype stage. It has certainly caused an uproar online, so collectors are certainly taking note.
Additionally, at a construction/engineering level, the figure’s thighs and neck are not perfect either. I know this verges on nitpicking, but since the head does not sit just right on the neck, a bit too much is left exposed, and it looks too thing and elongate, especially in silhouette. Furthermore, the new thighs were created to compensate the little guards on top, but somewhere in the process, the legs themselves got a little too thin. It is not really that noticeable at first glance, but when you consider how bulky and top heavy the figure is, and how the boots flare at the top, what is left in between looks a little spindly. Sorry if you are seeing for the first time, but if you don’t see it, then that is even better.
Finally, I want to talk about Dragstor’s Classics weapons for a moment, because more than the other critiques from above, my thoughts on these are definitely mired in person preference. It is not like the new crossbow and ripcord whip are poor accessories, because they are not, but for being weapons for the last vintage figure, the whole vintage concept was chucked out the window. I think the new crossbow is very well done, and it is cool and creative take on the Horde standard befitting of Dragstor’s character, but he DID have a vintage crossbow that was more in line with those given to his fellow Hordesmen. Leaving that out seems to go against intuition for this line, and again, the rational bucks tradition. Like I said, I enjoy the design of the new bow, but I was not a fan of when King Randor got new weapons, but not his vintage (rectified in a weapons pack), and I don’t care for it here. Now, the original Classics Hordak figure got a crossbow that was eyebrow-raisingly (that’s a new word) closer to being more vintage-accurate to what should have been included here, and since we have gotten better for Hordak since then, I will just give Dragstor that dark grey one. Maybe that was the rationale all along, and if so, that is okay, I can be slow, so a more obvious tell would have prevented me from going down that 200-word rabbit hole.
The whip/flail thing that follows the tradition of adapting one thing from the vintage line to make another, is a fun idea, and the sculpt is nice too. I like that the teeth from the rip cord were preserved here, and this fills a second accessory spot well. The sculpt is bit dynamic to me, and its sine-wave pattern is a little crazy, but I am sure plenty of collectors will embrace this, even if it doesn’t really hit the right notes for me. That is the great thing about getting multiple accessories: it is freedom of choice, and you win some and you lose some in terms of personal taste.
I know this might feel like a bit of beat up session, but it was really not intended to be such. Dragstor is fine addition overall to my collection, and I put him on the shelf feeling happy, relived, and a little sad to add the last of the vintage Masters figures. I wish the spinning wheel would have been preserved, and his coloring been more accurate, but even if the accessories are not true to the original, I can still appreciate them. This feels so weird right now, especially since I have had the Laser figures for a few weeks by this time, but for many, their time with this line has come to a close, and hopefully they have gotten everything they wanted from it. For me (hopefully many others), we head into 2016 with new hope for things that have never been realized, so that should be fun. We will be back with our year-end wrap-up soon!
