Monday 13 December 2010

My top 10 MotUC for 2010

It's the end of the year.  Everyone is making some "best of" lists.  Well, maybe I should make ten Top 10 lists as is fitting for the end of 2010 after all.  Or maybe not.  I have no idea.  But one list that is definitely a no-brainer is this list.  Also, as Lemonjuice McGee reminds me, they are fun and they make people annoyed (only that he didn't use those exact words).  Apologies to Mr. Marrs if I stole your idea.  And in reverse order...

Number 10 - Mo-Larr
Mo-Larr isn't a traditional figure, but was created by Robot Chicken.  He goes on the list because he typifies the mentality that this toyline isn't slave to canon (and by canon, I mean the diverse realm of official media that has gone before).  Instead the line can think outside the box (well, not literally, since he is packaged in a box and all).  So the gauntlet has been thrown down.  If you make a character in a MotU related sketch that is aired nationally, your character may possibly be made into a toy!

Number 9 - Twitch
Wait a minute?  What's Twitch doing on this list?  He's a figure from the Toy Story 3 franchise.  He's not even a good guy or got that many lines in the movie and he's definitely not part of the MotUC line.  That's true, but despite what anyone else says, Twitch is the archtype of the action figure of the 80s as typified by MotU way back when.  He's also the figure that excited quite a bit of the MotU fans for being rather accurate to the buffed-up MotU figures.  The fact that the same company that made MotU also made this figure didn't hurt either.  What he does suffer from are the lack of articulation, but one can argue that is only because he's accurately representing an 80s action figure.

Number 8 - Wun-Dar
Wun-Dar is based on a mystery figure that supposedly came as a promotion for Wonderbread back in the 80s, but nobody really knows for sure now.  Mattel has decided to throw in a number of "joke" reference in this repaint - the obvious ones are the inclusion of the loaf of bread, but less obvious is the Wonderbread logo found on his backpack.
Now this figure is a club exclusive, which means that it's not easily available, which is a pity as it's a rather interesting character.

Number 7 - Chief Carnivus
I had a dilemma here, should I pick Marzo or should I pick Carnivus.  Well, Carnivus won, but I thought it would still be good to include Marzo's picture.  Basically, both figures are based on the MYP cartoon and never before had figures.  Carnivis was my pick because I like the Sword of Omens Saz and the shield.  Besides, an anthromophic Cat and a member of the Eternian council wins more points in my book than a drug-crazed nobleman (sorry Count Whaley).

Number 6 - Adora
This is another figure that never had a figure in the 80s, and her release was lauded as a more inclusive toyline for MotUC.  Well, it would take another year before the next character (and third figure) was released in the line.  Still, Adora heralds the inclusion of the Princess of Power in MotUC and she can also be transformed to Force Captain Adora with her blaster and holster.  How's that for sneaking in a Horde member into the line?

Number 5 - Aquaman
I assure you that this is the last non-MotUC in the list, but at least Aquaman does come on a packaging that has MotUC on it.  It just doesn't refer to his line though.  This is the Aquaman that I'm looking for, the classic version of the figure and Mattel had to sneakily make him available only at Toys R Us.  That's such a pain.  He'll also be hard to obtain for the moment.  The teal coloured Merman that he comes with as an accessory is nice as well!

Number 4 - Whiplash
And now we are getting serious.  I never liked Whiplash as a kid, but the MotUC version blew me away.  Besides the interchangable heads and weapons to make the two different versions of the character (which looks different enough to be separate characters in their own right), Whiplash also comes with a tail that has articulation.  Add that to the fact that the tail was design to assist him standing and loose ankles and kamikaze dives off the shelf is a non-issue for this figure!

Number 3 - Kronis
Notice that I'm listing Kronis instead of Trap Jaw.  Yes, I know Trap Jaw is a favourite of some, but he really wasn't a figure that I like way back in the 80s.  As such, he was just OK this time around.  Kronis though, is a different story.  Two proper hands, a nice gun belt, a fierce sculpted mien.  He gives us a figure before the gimmick, where he is a, pardon the pun, real man, and not some sort of joke.  Surprisingly Keldor didn't make the cut for top 10, but here's a picture anyways.

Number 2 - Grizzlor
If you read my review earlier in the month, you would have known how much I really like this Grizzlor.  He comes with real fur.  Real FUR.  Sure, it sheds some, but it's still real FUR.  Mattel has wisely decided to incorporate the millennium accessories, but has cleverly hidden them to a backpack on his back, which is a good idea.  He can still look like the vintage figure from the front, but his back shows that he's a mean beast not just with FUR but with weapons too.

Number 1 - Colour Change Orko!
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's a regular reader here.  Yes, my favourite MotUC this year is the Orko with the action feature.  In fact, I would say I only like Scare Glow better than this Orko.  I like how the entire figure turns transparent when heated (as in hot water).  And this is the only figure so far where they chose to make a version that has the action feature.  He comes with Prince Adam as an accessory, but that's a whole other story.  Oh and he's a SDCC exclusive, which is why I'm happy I got him.

So what's your top 10 MotUC figures of 2010?  Does Marzo, Keldor or Battle Cat make it higher on your list then they do mine?  (For the record, Battle Cat is 11th, Marzo is 12th).  Post your comments below!

12 comments:

  1. Wow! Your list is completely different from mine...if I were to make one.lol

    Good list though, and I get your reasoning on your picks.

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  2. Each one of us will have a different list, I'm going to guess...

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  3. I really liked the King Grayskull reissue. It has the coolest He-Man color scheme (Santa cape aside), IMO. I'm planning to review him the week of X-mas, so stay tuned!

    Another one of my favorites was the "comic" version of Skeletor (DCUC vs MotUC). I liked the solid yellow skull a lot more.

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  4. Great list! Different from most, I would reckon, but that's what makes it interesting. I couldn't stop reading. :)

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  5. I'm glad that you guys like the list. So what are your top 10? Will you make your own list? Give me a shout-out if you do!

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  6. I wanted to reply, but then I realized that I got only six MOTUC toys this year, if we don't count the reissues... Oh, well.

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  7. You are welcome to post your 6. I didn't get everything on my list - I haven't got the Aquaman yet! Maybe next year!

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  8. Yep, Aquaman/Mer-Man is a must-have for me! I don't have either figure, except for that ridiculous Ocean-camo version of AqM.

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  9. Not a bad list. Some of those are my favorite figures as well.

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  10. I'd be interested to read about what you'll put on your list Thrawn.

    And 3B? Wait about 6 months, then the shelves will be flooded with those 2-packs.

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  11. Well, I've got Whiplash, Adora, Grizzlor, and Orko on my list. I don't have Aqua idiot on my list, but I do have the blue Merman. He's so freaking cool. Our lists are about 50% the same.

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  12. There were only about 25 characters this year anyways, so it's not as if it's gonna differ by a lot. That's why I threw in Twitch and Aquaman, just to make the list different from everyone elses.

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