Well ThunderCats fans, it has been a looooooong time coming. I know you have been waiting, but that wait is almost over. ThunderCats ULTIMATES! series 2 has arrived at Super7’s warehouse, and the figures are prepping to ship. I figured we should make this a #ThunderThursday to help ring in the event. We have an ever so slightly early set of series two, so let’s take a quick preview.
Now, I promise I will be back soon with full looks at each and every figure in this set, but since we have been waiting so long, I wanted to do a little preview ahead of the more in-depth features. Finally. Tygra. Grune. (New) Pumyra. Mumm-Ra The EVER LIVING! They are all here. It has been a tumultuous journey, but in this case, the destination is the important part, so we are rapidly closing in. Mumm-Ra. I almost can’t believe it.
Okay, okay – enough with that! Here are some pictures to tide you over. I have a few brief thoughts on each below, so you can take a quick read to see about some of the highlights, and things that are already being discussed. I am very happy this wave is here. I might like series four a bit better overall (but that is mostly due to character selection), but I think Mumm-Ra is the overall standout, so that is a big win for this group.
PUMYRA
If you have been around since the old Mattel days, you likely already have Pumyra. But, just as they said, Super7 has reworked the figure to include a few new attributes that are improvements over the previous attempt. First and foremost, as promised, this version is shorter than the last one (that was way too tall), so Pumyra now scales much more appropriately with her cohorts. The difference is not huge, but it does make a difference.
Also, she now has a new mid-torso joint that was not present before, and she is pinless to match the style of the newer ThunderCats figures. Overall, I am glad to have a bit of an upgrade here, and for those who were not collecting way back when, this is an essential TCats member to add to shelf.
GRUNE THE DESTROYER
Like his former brother in arms turned rival Jaga, Grune has a long history in this line, even though he has never had a modern figure. So again, it feels like he has been a long time coming. Grune has some height to him, just as he should, and I really appreciate that the alternate head and armor were included in this set so you can portray him as both a hero and a villain. Speaking of, Grune wins the accessory count race in this assortment, and his knuckledusters might be some of my favorite accessories ever.
Grune does have pinless knees, and that has been a topic of conversation thus far. Some early packaged pictures made it look like his knees were incorrectly assembled, but that is NOT the case. Since they rotate around, you simply have to make sure they are lined up correctly, so they might not be aligned in the package. You will see what I mean as soon as you open the figure, it is all good.
I will say his hips are a little loose compared to the other figures, and peg holes in his forearms to accommodate the hand pegs make the those looser than I would like as well, but he can still hold all of his accessories just fine.
As mentioned, I really like the height this figure brings, so he should be an imposing villain for your ThunderCats.
TYGRA
Ah, one of the most anticipated figures in the line thus far. Regarded by many as Lion-O’s second in command, Tygra’s wise presence is generally the voice of reason in the group. This figure has probably seen the most changes from that original prototype we saw so long ago to the final production piece, but overall, he is a solid figure.
First and foremost, he IS missing his right elbow pad. I don’t know what the production issue is that caused it, but it is a bummer for sure, there is no getting around it. To casual fans, it is likely a small detail, but man, I wish it was correct after all this time. I personally don’t find it to be a deal breaker because I like the rest of the figure overall very much, but I know that is a miss many will be sad to see. There might be a chance down the road for an update biceps piece to come that you can swap out, or even a separate elbow pad piece that can swap into place. I know Super7 has mentioned that we might see a “summoned” Tygra head in the future to match Panthro’s, so it could come there, perhaps. Or you could paint it if you are skilled at that kind of thing. Bottom line, I am sad it is not there, but for me, it doesn’t kill the figure.
What I AM glad to see are the update colors to the figure, especially the outfit. The colors match the original cartoon production colors much better than the we had seen before, and that light teal tone is very nice, and sets him apart from his compatriots. I also the like the brighter orange. I know it is a change so it is an adjustment, but again, it matches the animation cel colors pretty accurately. Personally, I have always found Lion-O to be a bit too washed out in terms of his colors, so I like skewing this direction much more. I understand if it is not your cup of tea, but this certainly puts that orange tiger color to him.
Plus, Tygra’s accessories are really fun, and the different bolo whips bring a lot of value, so you have choices for sure. We are getting SO CLOSE to finishing the original core Cats team now. I cannot wait for Cheetara.
MUMM-RA THE EVER LIVING
This is literally the big one and the runaway best figure in this assortment. Maybe even the whole line thus far (except for Slithe, of course). Mumm-Ra is pretty much perfect from form to construction, and we finally – FINALLY – have the big bad of this mythos. It has been really tough, but this one was certainly worth waiting for. The stature is great (the box is gigantic), and the two portraits capture the character very well. I love the screaming head here, and it looks just like the transformation sequence from the show intro.
The accessories are wild, too – especially that Sword of Pundarr. It is even taller than Mumm-Ra, so what out, Lion-O. The wired soft goods cape is a real marvel as well. It works so very well with this figure, attaches easily, and is very poseable in its own right. I seriously do not miss getting a plastic cape at all because this one is so well done. For being such a large figure, Mumm-Ra poses very well, has strong joints, and the cape allows for pretty much any posing you want to attempt.
On top of all that, you also get an articulated Ma-Mutt figure because what ever-living despot wants to pass the time without his best fur boi? Ma-Mutt laughs at Snarf for making into this line before him!
So there is a little preview for you, with more to come. Overall, I like this series a lot. There are some quibbles to be sure, but no deal-breakers, and I am enjoying all four figures. Mumm-Ra wins and he casts a long shadow, but Tygra is very dynamic and the more I play around with him, the more I like. These are all a long time coming, and will be arriving soon.
We will have more on each of these in the next few days, but if you don’t have them pre-ordered yet, you can still do so at BBTS.
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Source: The Fwoosh
