Last week, Matthew K brought you a look at the Warlords of the Universe Dark Soldier set, but when Skeletor is not around, they are going to need a middle management bureaucrat to boss them around, right? Yes, you might have some great generic soldiers that will fill the void left by the lack of a certain toy line not having movie rights, but never before have we been privy to their boss — the impressive General Helmet! Recognize this guy? I can tell you that fans have been looking for toys based on this property for a long time, but, unfortunately, “We ain’t found S#!%!” from it. Well, our pal Joe Amaro has not only made that possible, but he has made us a glorious mash-up of two of the best geek properties on the planet. So come and check General Helmet and don’t forget to “HAIL SCROOB!”
When Joe announced that he was going to make some heads for figures that he dubbed the “Dark Soldier,” I was absolutely ecstatic. The MOTU movie is really the last bastion of rights that Mattel does not own to make figures in their Classics line, so getting an opportunity for some perfect stand-ins is a dream come true. I am still holding out for Karg, but since everyone seems to have a generic soldier these days, it is fantastic that Skeletor gets to take a turn as well. Plus, you can say what you will about the MOTU movie (I LOVE it, so nyah!), but the sleek design of the crack troops is fantastic in any medium. So, while those guys made the big waves for this release (MOTU movie director Gary Goddard himself requested a pair from Joe!), the slightly tongue-in-cheek General Helmet makes for a fun addition to your shelf as well.
If you are a Spaceballs fan (and if you aren’t, get off my lawn!), this little sculpt can be used as a little tribute to a certain “Dark” helmeted character that is a send-off a certain “Darth” character from a space opera of acclaim. Just thinking about Rick Moranis’ turn as the vertically challenged Helmet cracks me up. I am not sure any other lampoon movie is so quotable, but having a little plastic avatar to deliver such classics as, “I bet she gives great helmet,” and “Get out my pod, you fat, bearded b#@%!,” is priceless.
If you are not familiar with the Mel Brooks classic, you might think that the helmet is out of scale upon first glance, but the exaggerated size is pitch-perfect in terms of design. You can almost hear the “struggling to breath” sounds and put-on deep voice of the Helmet character. At any rate, he will certainly sound important bossing around those Dark Soldiers. The helmet itself is perfectly round, and while that sounds trivial, the fact that these are handmade makes it very impressive because that is NOT something that is easy to accomplish.All of the “mask” details are pretty spot-on as well, and I particularly love the round “filter” on the front. You can almost hear Rick Moranis. Like the Dark Soldier helmets, this comes in a very clean matte black that looks great; I will be repainting mine in high-gloss black to match the base bodies and the soldiers. I think that the Dark Soldier recipe that Joe create is a good fit for General Helmet as well, but I am interested to see some custom bodies for him that will be closer to the source material. Don’t forget the tie!
General Helmet is such a fun addition for parody or fantasy barbarian fans alike. The tribute to the original send-up is right on target, but it is just serious enough to fit in great with a more serious mythos. As it stands, I will most likely be making a unique base body for him so he can stand alone (without equal) on my toy shelf and wait for when I can get a Colonel Sanders to join him.
Joe Amaro has done it again — General Helmet is a TON of toy fun! They are currently sold out, but you should check out the Warlords of the Universe site because you can get your name on the list for the next run! I HIGHLY recommend doing it because these heads fit in seamlessly with your MOTUC figures.
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