Thundercats 2011 (Part 1)

So Photobucket still isn't working (or won't work?  I haven't figured out if they took out features for good or if they're working on them) and the site I used for the Sir Laser-Lot pics froze my screen twice and was a bitch to use (Imgur).  That means that I'ma go through MORE pics I posted at other sites and compile them all here!  This next batch is from the Thundercats toyline that just died (along with the cartoon).  They'll be in order of when I posted them (obviously back in 2011) blahblahblahblah.

So lemme start with Thundercats 2011: A summary. 

You remember Thundercats?  Sure you do.  Cat people fighting monster people and their mummy leader on someplace called Third Earth.  Cool stuff, old fashioned anime (technically, since the art was outsourced), and a fun toyline.  I wasn't a huge fan back in the day, but I watched the toon and had some of the toys.  Doesn't mean I wasn't totally interested in a reboot!

Fast forward to 2011 when they decide to do just that.  Enter: Thundercats!  No magic or roar to feel, just good old fashioned RPG style wandering and badguy defeating.  Well okay, I guess that does involve magic and maybe a little roaring.  Point is, they brought it back with the same basic ideas but some more mysterious technological background that you learn about as the series progresses.  It was MADE for me, since I friggin' love me some mysterious technological backgrounds!  This one had it in spades, but I won't ruin it for you (though I'm sure you can make some guesses once you watch it, if you've ever seen or read anything sci-fi) 'cause it's bitchin' and I highly suggest checking it out any way you can.  Currently that's not a lot of ways...there's a DVD out, but it's not the whole series (because sure, I'll buy only a portion of the episodes and then ALSO the complete series that you always end up releasing.  Yeah, why not.)  I don't know if it's on youtube, but I wouldn't put it past folks to get it up there.  I know it's not on Netflix yet, but it should be. 

Anyway,  as I said, this whole series and toyline just crashed and burned like a big space ship, but rather than the inhabitants escaping and populating the planet only to later find out that they originally came from space - they all burned to death.  And no one knows why!  There were perfectly lit exits and the in-flight movie certainly showed everyone where they were, but somehow they all just sat there and waited to burn.  I mean, the show was well done, well written, voice acted by some real awesome folks, and animated real bright 'n sharp.  The redesigns stayed true to the basic idea while remaking them for the new RPG-like world they inhabited.  Was no one interested?  Was it the timeslot?  WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?!

The toyline is a bit less of a mystery, as it sorta had some spotty release dates and didn't quite line up with the show.  Top that with random size choices and changes for the classic figures and the sometimes-hard-to-find-sometimes-overabundant stock and you've got a toyline that is dead on arrival - well, except for the very innital release where people mistake regular buying habits for "rarity."  You know; the line JUST came out and hasn't saturated the market yet, so that must mean they're RARE OMG!  I'MA BUY ALL I SEE HERP DERP

Buhwait, wasn't I supposed to be showing toy pics?  Yeah, I should get on that.

So Tygra here was the first one I bought.  I started snapping these up as soon as I saw them, so I sadly got all the rejects before they fixed them.  Case in point: Tygra's eyes are crap. 

That's a pic of his face along side what was pictured on the back of the package.  Yeah. WOW.  Too big and too low.  They did end up fixing that later - twice.  I thought the first fix would be the only fix, so I bought it, and then saw the final fix that actually matched the back of the package and bought that.  So I'm a sucker.  It happens.

Anyway, this guy is still one of my favorites from the line, and honestly, just a favorite toy.  He moves well, holds his weapons just as well, and looks cool!  Way better than the blue spandex of yesteryear.

If you run across this one in clearance isles I highly suggest him as the best of the best in terms of the 3.5 size in this toyline.  The whip is rubbery and fun, and who doesn't love a pistol slung at the hip?  Also: asymmetrical shoulder pads and arm coverings!  Didn't I say this was like a classic RPG?

Next one I bought was 'ol Mumm-Ra in his mummy form.  When I bought them the toon had yet to come out, so I didn't know what all the story behind his items were.

If you're familiar with Thundercats, you'll notice that red eye gem in Mumm-Ra's sword - that's 'cause he eventually gets a sword in the series.  It was actually build before Lion-O's sword, but once again, I don't wana ruin things if you decide to catch the show.  Somehow.

Anyway, I of course wanted my magic mummy man to cast some magic, so I threw some random things on his hands.

Now his final "accessory" is his cloak, which reveals for certain that this guy is mostly unarticulated.

Just the wrists, neck, shoulders, and waist.  Not that I expected much from him, but how much more hilarious would be be with full articulation?  He doesn't really need it, I guess.  He works well for what he is, but I would have liked a nice magical blast if he's mostly going to stand there.  If you ever wandered over to the isle with this toyline, you probably saw him a lot. 

He's not that appealing, but in retrospect I'm much more happy with him than I was at the time.  Something about the simple look - red cloak and wrappings.  Also, I think I'm warming up toward simply articulated figures, recently.  If you use your 3.5 figures in any fantasy settings, he makes a great evil wizard. 

I will admit that I have a soft spot for the guy.  I used my old mummy Mumm-Ra way more than I did the monster form.

Speaking of the monster form: They tossed him in a deluxe pack with wings 'n such (he would come out later in a normal pack without the wings).  He's cool, but they made a few missteps with him.

First off, they have this crazy "thing" with the deluxe guys called "Thunderlynx" which means they just do something when you hold a magnet to them.  One of the accessories has a magnet in it (in this case it was his shield) and you hold it to his back to open his wings.  Gotta close 'em yourself though.

Now this guy has an impressive wingspan and is a beefy boy - towering over his mummy self - but sadly meeting the height (maybe even a little smaller) of the other hero figures.  If they were going to deluxe him, I would have went with a little more size. 

That's just one of the odd choices, though:

His arm adornments are just...on there. And rubbery.  So they fall off all the time.

Next, his skirt pieces are just pressed on there.  You mess with him enough and---

Yeah.  Later on I just ended up gluing that all on there and it works MUCH better.  My major problem comes with accessories and holding them, however.

He comes with the biggie sized version of mummy Mumm-Ra's dagger.  Looks cool from that side view.

...worse from that side.  Nothing new, technically.  Toy companies always seem bent on ruining their accessories and hands in the package by shoving the weapons into the plastic bubble and putting the weapons in the hands (or rubberbanding them in like Hasbro, which warps the hand and makes it useless).  In this particular case there was no saving the hands - they were already molded without thought.  They just have a grove in them where you shove the sword.  It doesn't stay.

What's worse is the sword is pretty much as rubbery as Tygra's whip.

Takes little to no effort to do that.  That's why it was so warped in the package, and why you won't find one that isn't. 

The other accessory is hard plastic though - probably so it can house the magnet.

It's an extension of the mummy Mumm-Ra's shield (on the right).  Just some crazy claws coming out of there. 

That, thankfully, just sticks into a hole in his arm.  It stays in strong and sturdy and makes this his only useful accessory. 

That was about it for my first batch of figures.  Back then I was scrambling around looking all over for them, but little did I know that they would be pretty easy to find in no time!  Next we'll go over Lion-O and big Mumm-Ra.