Apparently 5 years ago life would’ve looked very different. Matty Collector had a 5 year plan for their ThunderCats Classic line that launched in 2016. The holiday item for 2020 was going to be the crowning jewel of the line – up to that point. Yes, even Mattel planned to have Cats Lair made. But despite the line’s premature cancellation (remember that tragic day when we were informed of the line’s death even before the first figures came out; or the second blow when Super7 confirmed they won’t be continuing the line), the rewritten timeline still gave us what only +/- 4300 today can say is theirs – an actual playset for this expansive 7″ ULTIMATES! line. Yes, Cats Lair has finally made it home.
Cats Lair took a lot faster to make it to preorder than it ever would have, had the original line continued back in the day. It took only 4 years for it to go up for preorder. It took a year and a half until it shipped. Maybe a little less. But December 2024 the Lair began arriving at homes in the US. It took 5 months to arrive in South Africa. Ok, I have to add, that is partly because it only shipped from the UK mid April 2025. I won’t bore you with details, but suffice it to say, it hitched a boat ride from the US in February, took a nice sea vacation and then finally caught a plane from London to sunny Johannesburg before travelling to the North Coast to reach its forever home. As luck would have it, the Easter holidays caused further delay. The sheer size of the boxes also resulted in box 2 arriving first, and box 1 getting here a few days later (after another long weekend!!).
Shipping, or if you prefer packaging, played a role in a small group’s unhappiness. I’ve been very fortunate with mine arriving in great condition, but I’d like to blame the lack of care from certain employees of certain courier services in the US for delivering damaged boxes to collectors. I’ve seen some gnarly photos. I am truly sorry that the people who handled those packages mishandled them. That had me worried, especially since mine had a big trek ahead of it. But my worries were futile. If I had to score the shipping for each box, the smaller one got 10/10 (with no damage to the packaging) and the larger box got 9/10 (two holes in the packaging, very tiny, but zero damage inside, and the front of the box pristine!). If my delivery made it these thousands of miles with such care and so much handling, it’s obvious that the damaged parcels were handled by individuals who just didn’t care. Such a pity. And a pity indeed for the recipients who felt done in. I already received such a huge box from Super7 in the past when Snake Mountain shipped from the US. It too had a hole here and there, but similar to what I had happen to me now. Nothing worth complaining about. The boxes had corners inside. Which I bet helped a lot. Could it have done with another layer of protection inside? Sure, I bet it would have. But what happened to those boxes would’ve happened anyway. My hope for everyone who reported these damages to Super7 got their issues dealt with, which I’m sure would have been the case. Brian Flynn said they would and I’m confident that they have. Apart from partial refunds which I’ve seen processed, I’ve also heard via the grapevine of items being remade at the factory. Don’t quote me though! I haven’t seen anything official published.
I’ll start with the obvious – the art. It’s gorgeous. It took a long time for us to see it. It is in the same style as the Thundertank art. It’s bright. Colorful. Worthy of being framed. Everybody would have their own opinions on who should’ve been added to the art, me included. Of course I’d have liked WilyKat and Snarf on there. Even ol’ Vultureman would’ve been great to cameo. It still feels perfect and captures the essence of what this playset is – pure magic. While each box carries the same art, they also have a variety of marketing shots on a black background. It feels vintage, yet modern. The Thundertank and Electro-Charger had similar solicitations featured on their packaging.
The smaller box, 2 of 2, had the two paws and cat’s head. Packaged perfectly in a polystyrene bed. Box 1 of 2 had a polystyrene base for the plastic wrapped main body to fit on, as well as a thick layer of polystyrene at the top which housed the many accessories and the Early Bird backer Key of Thundera. This 4 inch piece is a beautiful item, making me wish for more large scale items like the Book of Omens and Sword of Omens. One can dream. All of the accessories were in individual plastic baggies, so everything was protected from the elements that could cause damage.
Putting the lair together was easy. The biggest challenge was to lift up the body of the Lair onto a table without breaking the hinges of the mountain sides. Like with Snake Mountain, these hinges have a very high friction rate and because of the weight of the mountain pieces, it could break if not handled with care. Whatever you do, be mindful of that when assembling yours. The paws and staircase just slide into the main buck, while the head itself locks into place. There’s place for 3 AA batteries (not included), as well as a wire (you get 2 – one for backup) that connects the head to the body for power. Once all is connected, simply press the two power buttons to light up your life. The head has a button behind the neck, while the insignia on the front and the inside screen has a button on the console board of the upper level. Look for the ThunderCats logo button. It’s not hard to miss.
The head itself is a thing of beauty. Sculpted to mirror the silhouette of the logo, there’s another awesome bit of fan service on it – the edges that you don’t see when it is screwed onto the body. The episode that has the Warbot attacking the Lair features a moment where this robot pulls off the head and throws it onto the ground. The damaged edges is replicated here. Now that’s passion I tell ya! The head, once screwed in, can still move left and right and doesn’t feel flimsy. So you can scan for enemies any which way. While we know the scale isn’t as it should be (I mean how big would it have been if it had!), it’s not an issue that you can’t fit a figure or four inside the mouth of the head as in the cartoon. The head remains majestic. And yes, it is still as big as a human’s head! I think it may be bigger than mine!
Once you’ve got your mountain sides open on either side of your lair, it’s time to start playing. Or planning. Or whatever you want to call the next steps. With the accessories available, the choice is yours where to start. Now full disclosure, I’m displaying mine front only. I wish I had more space to have it open at the back. The back is truly stunning. But I can always turn it around whenever I want to and then enjoy these accessories to its fullest.
The top floor is my favorite of the interiors. The command centre has the main computer screen with its large control panel, and two stations, one on other side, which has seating for its occupant and three screens. These pods are individual pieces that come separately, and they’re not glued down to the floor. There are circled spaces on either side of the main control area where they comfortably sit in. It makes it also easy that they can then turn whichever way you want them to. You get three hard cardboard pieces to choose between – each double sided with art that is captured right from the show. My favorites are the ones of Hook Mountain and the Black Pyramid. It feels amazing to have these in screens display locations of the toon. It brings the cartoon to life for me. There’s a loose chair for the main control station, and like the other chairs (including the seven from the council chamber), a figure can sit in there with ease.
Now what’s pretty effing cool about the featured wall on this level, is that it has a screen that lights up. That button I spoke of earlier gives light to this screen, and with several options available to slide into this space, you can change the display as often as you like. It lights up so beautifully. And what’s even cooler, if you don’t have space to display the back open like me, once you switch on the lights, it casts a satisfying light behind the lair that auras its way from the shoulders to the tip of the head. Even in the dark it’s pretty damn great.
The mezzanine matches the door that leads out to the front of Cats Lair. It has a balcony that overlooks the interiors of the Lair. While there’s nothing else in there besides some standing space, it can hold several figures standing – and I must add, standing upright with space to spare. The stairs leading down on either side are just too narrow to have figures stand on them. You might have to lift one leg up to pose them instead. These stairs embrace the Weapons Chamber. The wall around the door is exactly like in the toon when Pumm-Ra was walking down the corridors in search of the Sword of Omens. I picked that up the moment we got the tease back in ’23. The door rotates to reveal two chambers – one for the weapons of Cheetara, Tygra and Panthro, and one for the included sword stand that houses the mighty Sword of Omens and the claw shield.
This stand is elegant, and has a soft blue royal piece of fabric, almost velvety upon which the claw shield lies. So while we got another sword stand with Young Lion-O, this one is bulkier. If you ever had the 8″ Bandai Lion-O that came out at SDCC, you might have had a similar one. I’m just glad Super7 gave us this here. It belongs in the Lair. The stand fits into a space in the floor in the shape of the bottom of the stand so that it doesn’t fall out or slip around on the floor. There’s a lovely sun design on the wall of that chamber too. Dare I say the silver of the rays are sparkly? My only down side of the second weapons room is that the weapons don’t fit properly. Cheetara’s staff goes in ok, but Panthro and Tygra’s weapons don’t. I don’t know if the plastic shrunk a tad but even with force they don’t go in. But hey, it does stay put at least. There’s a wheel above the door and just below the balcony that you can use to rotate this room, or you can use your fingers. It turns with ease and makes for a fun feature.
Either side of the staircases are hallways that lead into the insides of the claws. So when you lift them up you can look right into the back of your Lair from the front. I like how this creates additional volume and storing space. We now have so many accessories it’s actually wild to think about it. They have to go somewhere. Perhaps that’s where the Council Chamber comes in. To the left of the interiors the mountain shell is fitted with large panels of what looks like building walls and windows. This was a clever way to use this space. I never would’ve thought of it. These walls and its differently shaped windows reveal the pale blue skies of Third Earth, and elevates the room into an elegant space of decision making. The seven chairs are all the same, and have pink cushions painted on the inside. Classy I tell you. The table itself looks like an upside down UFO, but it is another work of art. The raised logo with its glossy red background is magnificent. Like I said, conferences in this space should be packaged and marketed. I’d want to have a meeting here.
The right mountain side shows a bit more skin than the left. It’s Pahthro’s work station, and in this garage you can park your Thundertank for repairs. The mechanics and wall décor is true to the cartoon, even if it is bits and pieces from here and there. It works. The bench that is built into the wall has space to hang all of the tools we got with the lair. These tools, packaged in a clear tray alongside the bonus Tier 1 claw shield and Sword of Omens, are so weird and wacky that I have no clue what they’re called. Someone should come up with names for these tools, much like the Samoflange. Now what is really nifty is that there is even space for you to hang up your Samoflange which came with the Thundertank. That’s a nice touch.
The last bonus item is of course Tygra’s lab. It is a solid piece but it has so much going for it. When it was revealed I was hoping the 4000 target was hit. While there was a 5000 target too, between the two this is the one I’d want. Purely because the other one could be attainable another way. But this would not. And I’d have been heartbroken if it hadn’t been made. Despite it being one piece of plastic, the engineering here is superb. There are bottles that look like they have liquid in them. There are different colored bottles and stands. And yes, this mirrors Tygra’s lab from the cartoon in the episodes The Wolfrat and Return of the Driller. It has the tiniest details correct. I am often in awe at how Super7 does this. It is a craft. I take my hat off to you the designers. To you the creators. And to you the people who make it.
If you don’t have the width to display your Cats Lair open, you can always fold the mountain sides into the back which closes with a clip. It pops open easy too. But I would implore you to try everything you can to open up your playset and experience it to the fullest. These mountain sides are beautifully painted, and each side has a space where a figure can stand on. I would’ve like one or two more, but this really unique. It can house Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living for crying out loud!!
Whether you want your claws or paws closed or open, you have two to do with whatever your display requires. There are two weapon stations that are also from the cartoon’s The Astral Prison episode. They are lovely! Brandon Gash made these 2D designs into 3D, and I remember sharing the original sketches he did back in the day. And here I am today 2 years later holding them in my hand. Have I mentioned already how surreal it is to have scenes from the beloved 80s property in physical form?
There’s a lot of talk about the staircase that leads to the first landing platform. Could it have been broader? Sure. But the design would’ve been off in my opinion, and it wouldn’t have matched the cartoon look. I have however seen a customizer make his own piece that fills the entire space and yes, it works still. To each his own. I like mine like this. From the get go we knew it wouldn’t be scaled correctly. I’m looking at you LJN Cats Lair I never had as a kid! So for what this is it works. The steps are broad enough to stand a figure or two side by side. The space between the paws and the stairs I have reserved for my set of Thunderian Guards. Yes, they survived the destruction of Thundera and made their way to Third Earth! And they brought Claudus with them…
The first landing is the second topic that has some valid points – how do the Cats go from this landing to the main one without any stairs. And this should have been as tall as a figure because this has a door as well in the toon. Yes, that is all true. A separate extra set of stairs to put in the centre would’ve been a nice thought. But I’m ok with it. I guess someone could make that if we really wanted it. I’m not interested in the facts this time round. It’s a fantasy playset, and it can be the way it is with hopping Cats and so on. It works, even if it doesn’t work. This landing has a lot of space for figures to stand. What it also has, where the door should’ve been, is a lid that lifts up to reveal the tunnel that goes down to the core of the Lair with its Thundrillium. The shiny gold paint on here is lovely. It is a pity that the door that lifts up does not stay up, because it would’ve been nice to put a figure on there, but again, it is not a train smash. I like it for what it is.
We get to the final landing with the doors that open outwards. The detail on them are perfect. The handles are easy to use when opening them up. Just hook your finger or nail behind them and pull. In doing so, you open up to the foyer with the balcony in the background. This gives a lot more space for a figure to stand. Granted, you can pose a figure on either side of the door, but the space is really limited here. But when you have your façade stacked with figures, it really doesn’t matter nor does it look crowded. And that is what works and makes this exterior so appealing – having figures posed in front of it upgrades the look from fabulous to freaking awesome!!!!
The last bit of artillery you might miss is hidden on the shoulders. Right near the top below the blue windows are squares on either side which can lift up to reveal swiveling weaponry. While Cats Lair remains impenetrable, these guns are ready to shoot any evil doer showing up unannounced. Rounding off the Lair is the light blue wash on the pale grey walls. It highlights the might chest and spiked shoulders, and is also featured on the staircase itself. The ringed neck doesn’t look like a collar of a captured animal but a chain holding the glowing Cats symbol proudly on its chest. And when the lights go out, this is easily the perfect light stand.
I have only praise for what Super7 achieved here. I understand why they don’t want to tackle another beast like this right away, but we can always have hope for Castle Plun-Darr or Mumm-Ra Tomb fortress, right? Like I mentioned before, Tier 2 would’ve had us receive another bonus at 5000 sales, and that would’ve been Astral Projection Lion-O. I’m sad we never got him, but at least there is always the opportunity for it to still get made as a single release or other exclusive. I still have hope even when Brian Flynn said there are no immediate plans for it.
If you don’t own Cats Lair, and you still want to – do not wait for prices to skyrocket any further. This is the holy grail I’ve been after for 40 years. It was worth the wait. And worth every cent I spent on it to get it here. Invest in yourself. Go buy one of the last few Cats Lairs available now. This thing is life changing in all the best ways. Thank you Super7 for making my dream come true.
