Sunday, October 18, 2015

Action Figure Review: King Chooblah from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel

 Today's review is the third figure in the Masters of the Universe Classics 200x sub-line: The Kulatak elder King Chooblah! King Chooblah first appeared in the Mike Young Productions (MYP) cartoon series in the early 2000s but never made it into Mattel's accompanying action figure line. He's not a major character by any stretch of the imagination but he is a pretty unique character design. Like other figures in the 200x subline Mattel used a combination of various overlays and uniquely sculpted parts to create a figure with an appearance that stands out from the average MOTUC figure while still feeling like it belongs in the line. Ready for a closer look at King Chooblah? Then join me after the break...




 The Facts:

Height: 7 1/2 inches

Articulation: Hinged ankles, hinge knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, swivel waist, hinged abdomen, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell ball jointed head.

Accessories: Staff

Non-Scalper Price: $26-$28 dollars
The Positives:



* King Chooblah has one of the best sculpts we've seen in this line yet! There is just so much character in his face! While he's built on the furry Beast Man body a massive overlay really adds some bulk and a bit of a slouch to his posture. The new body elements are covered with detailing that really does give the impression of thick, woolly fur.  I'm also a big fan of his ceremonial necklace.


 * When it comes to the design and visual aesthetics of the figure I really like how the longer forearms and curved legs help to give King Chooblah a more hulking, simian appearance. He definitely stands out and looks like a completely separate species from your average Eternian.  His paintwork also makes him appear a bit more complex due to some subtle shading differences in his fur.




* King Chooblah's only accessory is a long green staff. It's quite solid and definitely helps him to stand on his own. I really like the look of it. Even though green might seem like an odd color, that is actually the color it was in the cartoon. It fits very securely in the king's right hand.
* While King Chooblah only has a staff as an accessory, does he need much else with claws like these? Seriously, those things are sharp! Yikes! His hands and feet just really look like they could do a ton of damage if push came to shove.








The Negatives:

 * While King Chooblah mostly has the same articulation as any other figure in the line, it should be noted that since he has longer limbs, and the furry torso overlay his articulation is somewhat impeded. It's not terrible but it does hinder the playability of the figure a bit.



 * Fortunately his staff is quite long and helps to prop King Chooblah because otherwise he's very prone to falling over. King Chooblah has some very cool feet that add a good deal of height to the figure but they're a bit unstable. The joins on the "ankles" probably could have been designed a bit better to allow for more stability.
 King Chooblah is definitely not a necessary character in the MOTUC series as he had a pretty minor role in the MYP series, isn't helping to complete a vintage (or 200x) line-up in anyway, and wasn't a character I heard too many folks clamoring for over the years. Still, he's a pretty awesome character. There really isn't anyone quite like him in MOTUC yet and he definitely adds a figure to chill out with other leaders like Randor, Angella, and Chief Carnivus. He has some problems such as being easily toppled over and being bit light on accessories, but he also is quite large and extremely well sculpted and painted. This guy gets a Great rating from me. Another accessory would have been nice but it's hard to deny that King Chooblah will stand out on your shelf.





I've reviewed a ton of Masters of the Universe Classics figures, including:

Angella
Arrow
Battle Lion
Batros
Blade
Blast Attak
"Buzz Saw" Hordak
Callix
Castaspella
Castle Grayskull
Clamp Champ
End of Wars Weapon Pak
Evil Seed
Extendar
Fang Man
The Fighting Foe Men
Flutterina
Galactic Protector He-Man
Galactic Protector She-Ra
Geldor
Glimmer
Goat Man
Gwildor
Heads of Eternia
Horde Prime
Horde Troopers
Hover Robots
Huntara
Hydron
Icer
Karatti
King He-Man
Lizard Man
Loo-Kee and Kowl
Lord Dactus
Mantenna
Mara of Primus
Mermista
Modulok
Multi-Bot
Nepthu
Ninja Warrior/ Ninjor
Octavia
Oo-Lar
Peekablue
Plundor
Procrustus
Ram-Man
Rokkon & Stonedar
Rotar and Twistoid
Scorpia
Sea Hawk
Shokoti
Sir Laser-Lot
Sky High with Jet Sled
Snake Armor He-Man and Battle Armor King Hsss
Snake Face
Spinnerella
Spirit of Hordak
Sssqueeze
Stackable Stands
Strobo
Strong-or/ Strongarm
Tung Lashor
Two Bad
The Unnamed One 

4 comments:

  1. This guy was much more impressive in hand than I thought he would be! Granted, like you said, he doesn't really DO much in the series, but for some reason I like getting the Eternian Council together (was that what it was called?) My favorite part is those claws, though! I love the idea of a generally friendly race that people take for granted, and somehow forget that you shouldn't push around the super friendly cat-guy 'cause he STILL has eight inch claws.

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    Replies
    1. Eternian Council is correct. It would be pretty cool if Mattel tried to finish them (at least the Minotaur and Centaur guys as well as Queen Andreenos and Hawke) but I'm not sure I see that happening at this point.

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  2. Super awesome collections man!

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