Saturday, October 7, 2023

The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror: G is for Grizzlor from Masterverse/ Princess of Power by Mattel

 


   While Mattel does have a Princess of Power subset in Masterverse, thus far the Evil Horde is outnumbering the members of the Great Rebellion. For today's installment of 31 Days of Toy Terror we're checking out the letter G, and right now G is for Grizzlor! I absolutely love Grizzlor, especially how in the minicomics and such he was made out to be kind of an urban legend that tales were told about. In the Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power series, Grizzlor was just another one of Hordak's baddies, definitely not as terrifying as the toys made him out to be. This figure definitely seems to borrow from both the vintage toyline and the Filmation design, offering up something that captures elements of both. He's a wild, hairy henchman of the Evil Horde and a pretty terrifying guy, so let's check him out on a spooky fall day. Join me after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 7 1/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, swivel waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 4 interchangeable hands, axe, harness, armband, and furry torso piece.

Non-Scalper Price: $22-$23 dollars


The Positives:


* I was curious to see how Grizzlor looked with his fur removed. You know, because it's actually a separate piece here, though it comes attached in the package. You know what? He doesn't look half bad. I know some people really don't like soft goods on their action figures, so if you don't and take Grizzlor's fur off, he still looks pretty cool. Check out all of the sculpted hair? He's just a cool looking figure and still seems pretty ferocious without all of that fur. The Horde harness is very cool, too, and still gives Grizzlor some added pizzazz. 




* Here's the Grizz-meister with his fur and, wow, does he look crazy. Good crazy, though. MOTU crazy. He definitely reminds me more of the Filmation version of the character than the vintage toy, who looked kind of like a Critter. This guy is really cool and I love that fur. Maybe not as much as the MOTUC version, but they're definitely on par.


* The headsculpt is awesome. I mean, this is legitimately a very creepy looking take on Grizzlor with some insane fangs and some really impressive detail on the face, especially the little paint flourishes that enhance his features. He's also got some awesome hair. We're talking Barry Gibb or James Brolin in The Amityville Horror awesome. Like that one werewolf of London that the late, great Warren Zevon saw drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's, his hair is perfect!


* Y'all known that Hordak is all about the branding, so he's given Grizzlor a snazzy armband to wear when he's out messing people up. That way, they know he's with the Evil Horde. Well, there's also the giant chest emblem and the boots to tip them off as well. The armband is removable, too, just in case you want to create a photo story where Grizzlor tosses the Horde armband to some little Etherian brat who is boo-hooing because he missed watching the Horde deliver a beating to some rebel group. Here's your consolation prize, future Hordesmen. 




* Horde boot. You gotta be there when these babies drop or you ain't getting a pair. 



* Even when covered in fur, Grizzlor has the same articulation as most other Masterverse figures which is a good thing. These are some quality figures that pose well and are just a ton of fun to play with. They're really durable, too.



* Grizzlor comes with two sets of claws. A pair of grippy hands for gripping, a grabby left hand for grabbing, and fisty right hand for punching. They swap easily and really are pretty fun.


* What's a hairy wildman with massive claws and fangs need? How about a giant, Horde branded battleaxe? Grizzlor has definitely put some miles on this axe as evidenced by all of the dents in the blade, and it suits him well.  



* Lastly, Grizzlor comes with an energy crossbow with a really cool headpiece at the front. I like these way better than the vintage crossbows and... about 3/4ths as much as I like the MOTUC crossbows. The paintwork on the front is really nice, though.


   Grizzlor is excellent and turned out really well with some awesome looking fur and a nice complement of accessories. Oh, and that headsculpt? Perfection. He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and definitely one to track down. I've had him for about 3 months but wanted to have some newer figures to put into 31 Days of Toy Terror, so I held him back. I'm really not sure if I prefer this Masterverse Grizzlor more or the MOTUC version. I like the accessories and fur better on the MOTUC version, but I like the headsculpt, articulation, and colors better here. Fortunately, I have both, so I really don't have to choose!



   If you're a Grizzlor groupie then check out my reviews of the vintage Grizzlor, the MOTUC Grizzlor and the alternate 200X Grizzlor head from the Heads of Eternia pack, the MOTU Origins Grizzlor from the PowerCon exclusive The Evil Horde set, the NECA Staction Grizzlor, the ReAction Grizzlor,  Grizzlor (Dark Variant), and Grizzlor (Toy Variant), the Grizzlor minifigure from the M.U.S.C.L.E. Trash Can Wave 4 (Slime), the Keshi Surprise! Grizzlor (red) and Grizzlor (blue), the POP! vinyl Grizzlor #40 and Grizzlor #40 (Flocked), and the Club Grayskull Grizzlor.

For more Masterverse reviews check out the following:
Tri-Klops
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
She-Ra
Sun-Man: Rulers of the Sun
Pig-Head








Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 7, 2023 at 2:56 AM

    This guy looks more jacked than the motuc version who looks like a furry potato like the vintage. I just noticed the crossbow has a different head than the one with hordak too. nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 13, 2023 at 12:36 PM

      This version of Grizzlor is totally ripped. You just know he rips apart phonebooks with his bare hands just to impress the ladies.

      Delete
  2. MekaneckfrenchiefrogOctober 7, 2023 at 6:53 AM

    While on the subject of MOTU, have you seen the Lords of Dragonore line in stores in your area ? (or do they fall in that terrible pre-order/crowdfunded/online exclusive category - see Mattel Creations/Haslab's "engineered scarcity" BS, which nearly everyone in the toy community starts being sick of ?) Well, they look absolutely awesome, as far as MOTU inspired 6 inch figures go, I must admit (ie : that chinese dragon guy, wow..), but seeing how they cost 50 Euros apiece, I certainly won't start collecting them any time soon.. Anyway, anyone into vintage-styled MOTU should salivate at the sight of them. Just seeing pics of them makes one feel like it's Christmas time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 13, 2023 at 12:45 PM

      They do look really nice. They're a small company created by dedicated fans (Emiliano Santalucia is heavily involved) and that really makes things tough. It's just tough to get a toyline off the ground without having to have some commitments from buyers in advance. Admittedly, despite being a huge MOTU fan I'm not that into other 5.5 inch figures designed the same way. It's just not my favorite action figure style, though I do imagine if I saw these in person I'd buy the heck out of them. Over here you can purchase them through BBTS pretty reasonably and even get a bit of a discount on the whole set.

      Delete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)