Don’t expect some cheeky intro in this space. Ninjas don’t talk much, and they certainly don’t make jokes. They just kick your ass, just like this Ninjor figure is going to kick your ass.
See, he just comes in all quiet when you least expect it and before you know it, your ass has been handed to you. Now, this figure is not going to get a chance to be released all secretly since his February 2015 date was set a long time ago, but if you are are one of those guys that has always written Ninjor off, continue to do so at your own peril. I get that the “end of the line” of the vintage Masters of the Universe line is no where near as heralded as the line in its heyday, but I have never understood why so many of the figures from that time are often chided by so many “fans.” Frankly, I see a lot of really cool concepts from that time, and Ninjor is definitely one of them.
Sure, I get that it might seem like Mattel was just trying to shoehorn the concept of the ninja into the MOTU line due to the prevailing popularity of all things martial arts in the mid-1980s, but I say, if the shoe fits. And it does. Frankly, I don’t find the concept of a ninja on Eternia to be too derivative at all, in fact, I think it is really cool and Ninjor made for a really cool figure in the 80s, and he does so 30 years later, too.
Ninjor (or, due to currently copyrights, Ninja Warrior as the package says), has been held back until late in the Classics line, even while some of the others from his original series have been around since the first year of the line. Chronological semblance aside, I have to say that Ninjor is well worth the wait, and even though there are a lot of flashier figures already revealed for 2015, and he is scheduled to hit right in the thick of Toy Fair, I advise you not to overlook him because there is a lot to love. I say that knowing full well it is ridiculous to have to sweeten the pot for a figure of a ninja, but he did turn out very nice.
While he is based of the one of the most prolific and foundation MOTUC base bodies, all of the other pieces come together to make for a very visually interesting fresh take, even for a figure that is mostly just red and black. I know that people have had issue with the choice in feet used for the figure, but it matches the vintage and they go to further the idea that Ninjor is actually a demonic creature from another dimension, rather than a human (perhaps with some Japanese oni influence). The aforementioned red and black color scheme makes him look extra evil and the burning red eyes are icing on the cake.
Now, Ninjor was pretty unique in the vintage line as he was one of the few figures that had a considerable amount of soft goods (cloth) to help make up his costume. Thankfully, the Four Horsemen (or, more accurately, the “Fifth Horseman” Djordje) moved us away from the soft goods concept and he recreated his old costume with a lot of new style. Personally, I find Ninjor to be one of his best works as all of the elements make for a great modern translation of baggy cloth. Since no other MOTUC figure requires a gi, this is all new for the figure and I really like all of the straps, padding and the 3-D effect of the chest emblem. At first I thought this was going to look a little over baked and busy, but it actually works really well. Even the portion that was tied at the bottom of the original takes on new life as sash about the waist, painted in a very dark red color. It rides up just a little high, but since everything is black (or very dark in color), it is not overly noticeable.
I really love the masked head a lot, too and there is absolutely no lack in details, especially for a piece that is mostly just a black hood. There are different surfaces and detail lines around the opening for the face, and the folds and details of the actual mask, while subtle and monochromatic, add a great amount of extra depth. Again, we have come a long way since a loose-fitting cloth hood. While not much of his face is exposed here, the jagged and heavy eyebrows, coupled with the burning red eyes tell all of the story.
Now, while I will always have the masked head displayed, the unmasked head is fantastic, too. It looks appropriately like a really pissed off feudal Japanese guy, you know, with burning red eyes. There are a lot of great wrinkles and care lines in the face and if you look at the very close pictures, not one tooth or eyebrow hair has been left out. Now, he does have the appropriate topknot, but this is the one spot that I don’t particularly care for as it is a little too “wind swept” or dynamic for my tastes. Tastes will vary, of course, but even if it is not my thing, there is no denying the quality of work on display here.
Like his vintage counterpart, the Classics Ninjor also comes armed to the teeth. Included are the vintage katana sword, nunchucks, and bow. All of these do a nice job of recreating the look of the older weapons, but they do vary in terms of the their overall success. Personally, I love the sword and I think it is a fantastic and unique weapon even within a line that has swords uncounted. The curved blade looks great and there is a ton of sculpted and painted details in the handle. Hattori Hanzo eat your heart out.
Now, the bow and nunchucks are not quite as successful in overall execution. I like the nunchucks for what they are, but not having an actual chain really hurts it overall. The plastic “chain” is nice and flexible so you can achieve some convincing poses, but it doesn’t look natural. I am hoping that a good third-party customizer like Evil Mike or DJ Force will offer us up a nice alternative because Ninjor needs to swing those nunchucks like a mad man, er, demon.
EDIT: I was just made aware, via the comments below, that Sascha Bischoff does currently offer “chained” nunchucks that can be used for this figure, so that is GREAT news! Sascha does great work.
The bow is kind of a whole other thing entirely, but at least it looks like a slavish update of the vintage bow. This is really just a show piece and has no functionality at all. I realize that Mattel does not want to release an actual “working” bow, but I wish the string was left out entirely like in previous releases. I have a feeling this is going to end up in a lot of accessory bins. That is, of course, unless you want to display it on his back…
Which you can totally due thanks to the cool arrow quiver. One of two new accessories, it plugs into the back of the gi overlay. The arrows are not removable, but they do create the effect, and there are two clips that can hold whichever two accessories you don’t want Ninjor to be wielding. Also included is a rope belt that, while it can be used for Ninjor, is really for the previously-released Jitsu figure. This is a recreation of the belt from the NECA Staction figure from several years ago, so if you have had you Jitsu waiting for this, it is finally coming home.
Ninjor is the first “vintage” figure of the new year, and even though we are very deep into the line, he is well worth the wait. Like I said, I know that he is not the most revered of vintage sect, but the Four Horsemen really knocked him out of the park. His new bio describes him as a double agent for Horde Prime, but I prefer to keep him as a very mysterious member of the Evil Warriors who, despite his lethal fighting skills, is still made to be subservient to Skeletor.
Oh, and even though it was previously announced that Ninja Warrior would not have “day of” stock, that has been changed so you can grab extras of this guy on February 16th, just a few weeks away!
*Thanks to the crew at Mattel for sending this sample along for a First Look, stay tuned — we have a LOT more MOTUC goodness coming soon!
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