Fresh off an exhilarating interview with Brian Flynn from Super7, these beauties arrived on this side of the world. As I’m typing this, the other half is en route so Wave 10 will be completed soon. But let’s take a look at the young Lord of the ThunderCats, and his nemesis, the dreamy, sorry, Dream Master incarnation of Mumm-Ra (Freddy Krueger better watch out!)
Taking a step back to the time when Wave 10 was announced, the wave was met with excitement and wonder. At the time, I saw the Super Pack picture first, and had no clue what that Mumm-Ra head was for. When I finally saw the full wave’s solicitations, I was pleasantly surprised. I never thought of him! Why didn’t I? Of all the variants we’ve gotten so far, this was an unexpected one, and it makes me excited that Super7 will do more. (In hindsight, I should have seen it coming, especially with the Astral version of Lion-O already shown, but who remembers that after 40 years?)
So we have Young Lion-O. After 40 years I might add. Finally!! This was the figure I was most excited about at the time. Yes of course I loved Snarfer, and I always wanted him too, but Lion-O’s younger self was so iconic from that first episode, it was a gaping hole in my collection. The tease we got for Wave 10 had sported the Sword of Omens and its stand. If you have watched that first episode as many times as I, you would’ve recognized it’s design immediately. And boy oh boy did it make me excited.
So I’ll comment on that stand first. It’s beautiful. There’s a metallic shine to it that makes it look like it’s from outer space (of course it is!). Does the Sword of Omens fit onto it? Well, yes and no. Rather, mine does / does not. And it all has to do with the packaging I guess? It seems that the blister card may have bended the plastic (which is soft!) in such a way that it didn’t hold that position correctly. So I would need to heat it up and cool it down in place to stay like that. But it does display real nice when it is on there. Who thought we’d ever own a piece of that space ship, ey?
The figure also comes with three extra sets of hands, two alt heads and two versions of the Sword of Omens. Now the extended sword’s blade seems to be sorta translucent. That’s a nice and different touch I have to say. It gives it a magical look when it’s hold aloft. When I compare it to the Deluxe sword, I’m rather pleased that the additional details on the sword is here in terms of the paint itself. It makes all the difference. The many hands (fists, gripping and open) are good options vs the more standard hands on him. And then there are the heads. One is a smiling one, and the other a more grinning one, vs the stoic one on him. I prefer the one he comes with in the packaging. The paint is stunning. The paint on all of them is stunning. But that smiling one feels out of place. I only recall him smiling in a much later episode when he became younger and younger because of the gas from the suspension capsules they travelled in. But he was naughty there, so that may be where it’s from. (Though as an aside, his outfit there was different and it had his abdomen showing like with the regular version of Lion-O – it wasn’t closed up like this one.)
I personally wish that this version rather came with a head that had the glowing eyes from when he picked up the sword for the first time. And that angry expression of “don’t mess with me!”. That’s the biggest miss here. But you never know – Super7 may have that head saved for later. Even an LED version perhaps? My biggest disappointment, beside the missed opportunity of that head, is that all of mine are like bobble heads. They’re not tight on the way they should be. I checked the peg, it’s not broken, although along the neck there does seem to be a little gape between the parts. That might be it. I don’t know. It changed out fairly easy, but alas, I’d have to revert to adding sticky tack or something to keep it still.
So what do I think about his skin tone? So many pictures make him look orange. Even when I did the review the light made him look that way. In hand in regular sunlight, it is just right. Compared to the other two versions of Lion-O, he is also not the same. But he looks great, and I have no qualms about his color. I am disappointed that the logo on his belt isn’t 100% right, and that it had some paint rubbed off. Other than that, I am truly enjoying this figure. And I can finally pose him with helmet-less Jaga and the gang onboard the ship while they get away from the mutants and Thundera’s destruction. The way his body is constructed makes posing him easy – and he can go in for that farewell hug before Jaga sent them off to dream land… This might be a frail looking figure, but his articulation is superb.
I have to compliment the artist on the beautiful art on the back of the packaging. I don’t miss the slipcovers anymore, but now I wish this one had the art on the front like Wave 12! That looks neat. But since I chuck the packaging, it’s ok to just keep the back. The bio though has one big mistake. Perhaps it’s a matter of perception, but the bottom line is while Claudus instructed everyone to leave Thundera, they were not sent to Third Earth. They were actually going somewhere else. We do not know where, but after the mutants attacked the ships, the damage sustained meant that they could no longer travel there, and plan B was to go to Third Earth, the closest planet they could survive on. By that time Claudus was not there to make this decision (and yes I deliberately did not say ‘dead’). It does feel disappointing that this will now be considered canon when it’s not exactly what happened. Moving on!
The Dream Master is a figure that was never meant for Wave 10. As per Brian Flynn, this was planned to be an exclusive, but when things moved around on their end, he jumped the queue and became a stand out in the wave. He is everything you’d expect from Mumm-Ra, with the same articulation etc. But he has a little something more than makes him awesome. Don’t let his weird box with the ghostly art fool you.
First off, the translucent plastic here is fantastic. The color on this thing stands out so much. I love how he changes color in the light. It becomes more intense. Even his cape is shiny. The fabric is different from the other versions. I would’ve expected something translucent here, but this works so good. The cape itself connects much like the Black-Ra version (aka the BBTS 25th anniversary Red & Black Mumm-Ra) – you hook it over the neck peg and through the hand pegs plugged into the arms. It’s simple and works easier that the original version. That clasp/hook on his back is no longer there. The pins on the wrists are not removable either. The cape has wiring in the middle, but not on the sides, which actually works so good. It drapes itself when hanging, so it looks more natural.
So here’s the fun bit: apart from his other hands (gripping, fists and expressive) there are those with a pointing finger that plugs into the electrifying energy beams. The translucent purplish/pinkish plastic is vivid and striking on your shelf. Man oh man this is by far my favorite part of this figure. Not just that, but you can put those lighting strikes on any figure who has a pointy figure. Or even a weapon if you will. I love that. And that is how mine will stay forever.
Then there are the Dream Urns! For something so tiny and “boring” I am thrilled to have these. They’re episode specific of course, and even if it is just a little piece of plastic with a string on them, they’re so cool. It’s these little things that makes me so excited every time a new wave gets announced. Super7 looks at the tiny things, and I can promise you Dream Master would not have felt complete without it.
Head wise, the screaming version of Dream Master is my go-to head. I know he is evil and that sly grin works well when he is plotting, but when he is out in the open (or in your nightmares) trying to take control of your dream self, he does so screaming!! And I’m screaming with joy when I think of Dream Master. He was a figure I never thought I’d want. He seems to be a figure people skipped because it is just another variant. But trust me, he is so darn cool. This elevates Mumm-Ra to another level. He is a must have and most importantly, a fun figure.
Stay tuned while Snarfer and Quick Pick arrives, as well as the Super Pack where I’ll revisit all four figures and show off their alt heads.
For more information and future ThunderCats releases, click here.