We are officially seven waves deep on our shelves, with two more waves set to arrive within six months, a massive playset due in Q4, and three preorders scheduled for this year (Wave 10 is up now!). That is a mouthful right? Not even mentioning the one offs and that beastly tank that’s under our belts already. Yet the arrival of Wave 7 is an important point in the line. It signals the end for some, and the beginning for others. Let me explain.
If you’ve been a collector since the Matty Collector days, you probably already own the twins WilyKit and WilyKat. If you are only collecting your core A-listers from Season 1 of the cartoon, this is where you’ll get off. Snarf’s debut in the ULTIMATES! line means that those who stuck around to complete this core team, now has every character they want. It’s a fantastic notion. There was a time that we had an incomplete lineup; and the talented artists like Joe Amaro offered collectors some eye candy in the form of Snarf, Snarfer and the Berbils to add to that roster of Matty Collector figures. I really wanted those too at the time. But if you stuck around, then you’re in luck because the team is now complete.
There are those however who never got the twins from Mattel, so the next two waves will be offering the chance to complete the core team. I much prefer the look of these Super7 twins, and cannot wait to have a full team together because WilyKat’s wrong colored sleeve drives my OCD up the wall…. Nonetheless, from Wave 8 onwards a new chapter begins and we finally start the second chapter of ThunderCats with new faces from Season 2. Which is what I have been waiting for since Super7 swooped in to rescue the line back in 2019. (Has it been 5 years!?!) This wave therefore is that point in the line where we can look over our shoulders and say “we made it”. We finally did. We have Snarf!!!!
If you recall my earlier interviews with Brian Flynn, there was one topic that always popped up – Snarf. Brian liked teasing that they’d make him, then mid-sentence say they’ll never make him just to spite me. Ha! Since we have Snarfer in Wave 10, there luckily won’t be any badgering about him in future interviews.
Snarf is expected to be the most popular of the wave. He just has that kind of aura that is a mixture of anticipation and yearning. We never thought we’d get HIM, right? The articulation is spot on. The tail stand ingenious. The accessories fun. The alt heads very clever. The detail on his clawed fingers surprisingly impressive (painted nails – on those tiny fingers!!!). What else is there to say about him? He moves the way you’d expect him to. His joints are stiff and changing out the tail and heads do need some gentle care, so when you do want to change things up, try a hairdryer if you don’t want to break him. Living in a warmer climate hasn’t given me the need to do so, but for those in winter now, take heed.
He comes with the tail stand already on him, which is probably going to be most collectors’ go to look. It’s also tough to choose between the heads. Will it be smiley or stoic on my shelf? Time will tell. My smiling head has some paint splattered on the side of the beard and a bit on the lip. I’ll have to try and scratch that off. I like the angry head too, and the Sword of Omens that he comes with fits snug into his open mouth. I would’ve liked a Mumm-Ra inspired head perhaps with the red glowing eyes. You know how Mumm-Ra liked to impersonate the Cats. Even Ma-Mutt did. So this agro head might just be the right substitution of you want to create an army of Mumm-Ra’s impersonations.
I may have wanted more Candy Fruit too, or to open up that satchel (which has an adorable zip!), but I bet the Berbils will give us more. It’s been bittersweet getting Snarf in hand because my gran who passed away a few months ago really loved Snarf. I had a vintage toy that I gifted her that she proudly displayed in her room. I suppose it will hit home if we do get an LJN update of Snarf perhaps down the line. I know she would’ve really loved this action figure.
Mongor is for some a strong contender for figure of the year. Now this guy is a beast. Oh boy the detail on this demon from the underworld is spot on. This is a toy you can hear! I just look at him and I hear that sheepish stuttering of his. It was an interesting choice to have a figure made of it back in the day, and his scythe was always an expensive accessory to track down on ebay in the early 2000s. Yet today I don’t have to struggle with scouring the interwebs to have a complete goat demon Baphomet. Today I can sit back and enjoy this new updated and fully articulated beast that the twins set free in a similar fashion as Grune. Curiosity nearly killed the Cats!
Talking about the scythe – I found it to be very easy to stay in position whichever way you hold it. My vintage one was just too heavy and would topple the figure (and often the whole display would domino!), so that’s a very nice treat. A nice twist with Mongor is the alt head that has eyes that glow in the dark! Yes, this was never advertised, but Super7 still managed to surprise us with this lovely feature. Just a fair warning to those who plan on acquiring this big guy – the horns are fragile and could break if you man handle it. So be careful. A friend of mine had his fall off the table and the horn snapped off. They don’t feel fragile though, but just take care.
Mongor is a beautiful beast. The detail is marvelous. It may appear that he has very limited accessories, but what more do you need? We got the electric beams that adorns his horns, and some fire to put on top of the devilishly dangerous scythe. His alt head with those all yellow eyes and screaming mouth is straight out of the toon. I guess the only thing I really would’ve liked was a small version of him. But that’s just me being picky. Nothing is needed here and we’re essentially getting one of the highlights from Season 1 in toy form as if he stepped out of the screen. What’s nice too is that we don’t really need an LJN version of him. The only thing that would’ve been different was the toy inspired head, which is really not needed. He can fit on any shelf of yours – be it your toy faction or toon faction.
Ratar-O finally completes the mutants. This rat from outer space is another beastly figure. His pompous demeanor comes across in both heads, and I can just see Slithe cowering. It’s also high time that we have a correctly toon-colored version of Ratar-O. I have no idea why the folk over at LJN ever thought of making his costume green and orange. This guy is clearly NOT that. Nonetheless, I cannot wait to see if we do get an LJN-inspired version of him down the line in ULTIMATES!
Even if he is a big and portly, he moves very well and the articulation that seems to be limited is not. His arms move surprisingly well with the elbows out to cross the daggers in that striking cartoon pose. I’m looking at Slithe and Snowman in particular, who are bulky figures but articulate just like any other. And since Super7 has already given us a clever rat’s tail with Splinter from TMNT, Ratar-O’s tail might not have that mid articulation piece, but the way it is sculpted works very cleverly under his skirt. It can rotate left or right. Nice!
The daggers’ energy beams and flame effects are a real nice touch too. The fit over his Rat’s Eye daggers with a bit of effort though, and I had to try and figure out how to do it. But it works best when you slot the blade throught the middle connection of the fire and then clip it into the top part. It holds very well. The energy beams actually plug into the back side of the eyes. With these options, you can pose Ratar-O in any way you see fit, and with the extra hands that gives your figure more range, I myself am excited to see the talented toy photographers play with this guy in front of their lenses. One already blew up my timeline from Instagram user 80s_kid_toy_photography. Go check it out.
His more aggressive head is another picture perfect moment from the toon. That one eye that is slightly smaller and staring more intense makes for a great character moment. Now all we need is the Ratstar! I really would have liked to see the hyper-space mega-condenser as an accessory here, but maybe it can come with something else somewhere down the line. Maybe reuse the sculpt as a base for Ratilla? What I am pleased about seeing though is the restraints that he used on Snarf and Snarfer to show up as an accessory with Snarfer in the new Wave 10. Clever!!
I left Willa for last because this is a character I have a long history with. I may have mentioned it here and there, but as a kid I saw the Pumyra figure at another kid’s house, and because we didn’t have Season 2 air here, I immediately assumed she was Willa. I was upset that Willa had been promoted to a ThunderCat, because she didn’t have an emblem on in the toon. And she wasn’t a ThunderCat. I was enthralled by the figure, but little did I know that it was Pumyra!
When we finally got her to join the ranks of Wave 7, I was very pleased. It was about time. She is part of the League of Third-Earth after all, and we already have Snowman waiting for her to take care of the planet. We’re a few characters still short, so I’ll state it here: GIVE US NAYDA! Please? You can’t have one without the other. And Nayda is of course Hachiman’s ‘little sister’, so there’s that…
Willa is an important character in ThunderCats lore, so getting her is a gift. She looks excellent. In fact, she is my favorite of the wave. Yes, she beats out Snarf because she surprised me so much. I am still in awe.
All of her accessories are just right. I am delighted that we got Bushy here. He is such a cool little guy. The attention to the toon is always impressive when it comes to Super7 giving us accessories. I mean, they didn’t have to, but do you even recognize that second arrow? The gas bomb arrow was used in the episode The Cave of Time, where Willa saved Lion-O several times from the mutants. That’s how much Super7 loves what they do: the extras are well thought out additions that the average collector who hasn’t watched the toon in decades will probably not even recognize. There are countless instances where they’ve done this. And Willa’s release is no different.
The two portraits we get are really good too. In fact, they are both perfect. And yes, Willa does smile in the cartoon. Super7 has come a long way and their females have always come under fire, but so far, this line has only delivered brilliant head sculpts. I always see Willa as a more serious stern looking gal, but that smile face makes me wonder. I may just swap it out a few times before deciding on which is my favorite. Maybe.
Now I know that the biggest concern here has been her skin tone. Human flesh has been different on characters like Mandora and April O’Neil. More waxy here and there. But Willa really looks great. They have certainly perfected the human skin. She does not need any paint on her face. The color injected into the plastic works so good, and the painted (or printed?) eyes, lips and additional shading really works. She is not as glossy as some pictures make it out to be. Trust me, in hand she is gorgeous. The big upset a few people had when the first photos emerged were her chest’s color. When I held her as was like “Ok now where is that yellow part?” It’s not there. Camera and lights play a big factor here. Her chest is painted on. And while her arms are injected with the color, her chest is not. That is the only difference. I have to say it again, trust me, there is no need for any concern. She is probably the most beautiful female figure in the line so far.
I believe that this wave is the final wave with slip covers. They were advertised with it when it went on preorder in October 2022. All subsequent waves starting with Wave 8 have omitted the image of a closed box with each character’s solicitations. So another sad ending but a necessary “evil”. I know more collectors out there would be happier to pay the same price while prices go up elsewhere.
The art on the back of each figure is once again outstanding. And their bios a quick but worthy glance at their history. Once again, I sincerely hope that we get ReAction figures of these characters so that we can see some more of the art elsewhere. It’s become a signature part of Super7’s ThunderCats. Let’s call for an art book! My favorite has to be Willa’s art. That, and Pumyra’s, are my favorite of the lot so far. Elegant and tasteful. It belongs on a wall.
Overall I am taken aback by how impressive this wave is. Super7 seems to top themselves each time. Its been roughly a year since we got the last full wave of figures, so there was quite the appetite for new characters. I think Wave 7 was, well for me personally, forgotten somewhere in a drawer of my mind, because it has been overshadowed by the magnificence of Cats Lair, the splendor of Ghost Jaga, and the surprise victory of the Reptilians. I guess I also do not have to mention that Waves 8 and 9 have stood out a lot too because of the inclusion of the Lunataks. So it was a good surprise when I realized once again how fantastic this wave was when I opened them up. Talk about a ticking timebomb.
Next up is SilverHawks Wave 4, and ThunderCats will only return in May / June with two consecutive deliveries. It’s going to be a fun period. For those whose journey ends with Snarf, I’m really thrilled that you’ve been able to complete this important group of heroes from our childhood. I do hope you still stick around to see what else Super7 has up their sleeves for ThunderCats. For those who are ready for the next chapter – buckle up! We’re heading into unknown territory now.
For more information and future ThunderCats releases, click here.
