I think every time I've reviewed a toy of Snout Spout I've pointed out how goofy he is. A cybernetic firefighting elephant? Pretty silly. The Four Horsemen's Staction off Snout Spout definitely made him a bit more serious, though all other versions since then (MOTUC, Origins, etc.) have gone back to the goofy look of the original toy. This guy is from the Masterverse: New Eternia subset, though, and he borrows some really cool details from Ted Mayer's art (the figure concept was from Roger Sweet) that make him look like a dude that you probably don't want to mess with. I'm pretty sure Queen Marlena has a calendar with Snout Spout making various heroic poses with his shirt off (she bought it for charity). This guy was an exclusive through Mattel Creations and was a bit easier to come by then some of their other exclusives. Ready to check out what is the best version of Snout Spout yet? Then join me after the break...
Height: 7 7/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, swivel waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, barbell jointed head, swivel tusks, 5 swivel/hinge trunk segments, and hinged ears.
Accessories: 4 interchangeable hands, backpack, 3 hoses, belt, harness, 2 shoulder pads, axe, water spray effect, diorama backer.
Non-Scalper Price: $33 dollars
* Matttel goes all out on Masters of the Universe packaging, especially for their Mattel Creations exclusives, and Snout Spout's is very impressive. He comes in all plastic free packaging, which I'm A-OK with for an online exclusive; This isn't retail, so I know what I'm buying. The art is superb. Snout Spout has never looked this good, man. All of his extra pieces also come in a nice little cardboard container.
* First up, Snout Spout is a pretty big dude. He's around 7 7/8ths inches, so he's a good 3/4ths of an inch taller than your average sized Masterverse figures. Making him taller definitely looks cool and adds some nice size diversity to the lineup. Of course, if you take away some of his new embellishments, Snout Spout can stand in as a pretty good "vintage" version of the character for those of you wanting the straight up vintage look. I really like his color scheme here; it's definitely eye catching and stands out without looking straight up like an Earth firefighter.
* Hey Snout Spout: Why the long face? OK, considering this guy is taller than He-Man and has some pretty massive tusks and a big axe, I guess I should probably cut out the jokes. This headsculpt definitely leans into the robotic/ cyborg design for Jaxton and borrows from Ted Mayer's art, especially with the goggle like eyes. I love the look! The head isn't grey like most previous Snout Spout figures but is instead actually silver. Sure, he might still be the product of a Horde experiment, but he could also be just a regular guy in a crazy elephant mask in the New Eternia world.
* Snout Spout was originally dubbed Hose Nose, because he uses his nose for a hose. To show that off Mattel gave Snout Spout's trunk five swivel/hinge joints. Oh, and his tusks swivel. Oh, and his ears are hinged. His head alone has more joints than most vintage action figures. Crazy, right?
* Snout Spout's goggle-like eyes also glow thanks to the magic of light piping! Just hold him up to a light source and they glow yellow. Groovy!
* The New Eternia design is further complemented with shoulder pads that fit onto the silver harness and a cool belt. The belt has a dial on it that rotates, perhaps showing how much water he has left in his tank. Or maybe it's a temperature gauge. Or a pressure gauge. Use your imagination. But not too much, since the gauge is right on his belt.
* His backpack is quite cool. It's removable but it stays on his back tightly by plugging into the silver harness. There are three gauges showing off water levels in the pack as well a clip for carrying his axe around.
* There are three hoses that connect from the backpack to the figure. One connects from the top to the back of Snout Spout's head, presumably supplying the water source in his trunk. The other two connect to the front of his belt. Maybe that rotating gauge does determine water pressure?
* Two pair of hands are included: One for gripping and holdings his axe and another for punching down doors. He could use the axe, sure, but punching down doors is probably more fun. It also keeps people from continuing to hound him to say "Here's Johnny!" every time he cuts through a door.
* Snout Spout's axe is pretty large and definitely is useful for both rescuing Eternians and Etherians in peril and for battling the forces of evil.
* Snout Spout doesn't actually squirt water like the vintage toy did (or the Origins figure), but he does come with a water spraying effect that can plug into the end of his hose nose. How about that, huh?
* There's also a port on Snout Spout's harness where the water spray can fit. It reminds me of one of those old squirting flower gags, kind of like what the Joker uses. Though Snout Spout just sprays water.
* You can also connect the small hose to the harness, attach it to the top of the axe, and then put the water spray effect into the bottom of the axe. Water cannon!
* Snout Spout is a larger figure than most Masterverse figures but his articulation largely the same, though he does only have swivel/ hinge elbows rather than double hinged elbows. They work fine, though, and still have a nice range of motion. He's really durable and is a great meld of toy and collector figure. I wonder if we'll see parts of this body reused for another character in the future? Who else could be this large. A Masterverse Extendar, maybe?
* The art card in the box is removable and reversible, making for a cool snake themed display theme. It might not be the perfect for Snout Spout but it ought to go nicely with some of your Snake Men.
If you're a fan of Snout Spout check out my reviews of the 200x inspired Snout Spout head from the MOTUC Heads of Eternia set, the MOTU origins Snout Spout, and the Funko Vinyl SODA Snout Spout.
Masterverse by Mattel (2021)
He-Man
He-Man
Jitsu
Man-E-Faces
Ram Man
Skeletor
Stratos
Two Bad
Vykron
Whiplash
Zodac
Masters of the Universe: Revelations
Skelegod Man-E-Faces
Ram Man
Skeletor
Stratos
Two Bad
Vykron
Whiplash
Zodac
Masters of the Universe: Revelations
Tri-Klops
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
Yeah, I got mine last week and he's great. He's awesome. He's... Snout Spout... How the heck they finally made him a cool action figure I do not know. And gone from one of the lamest characters in MotU to a strong contender for action figure of the year 2024. I still hate his silly name though. I call him 'Trunkor'! :D
ReplyDeleteTrunkor isn't a bad name at all. And, yes, the Masterverse team definitely took Snout Spout and elevated him here, even beyond the Staction (which I really like, too). This guy is just incredible and a blast to mess around with. Ohh, what about Preshor? Like Pressure? No, that looks weird and sounds weird. Sprayor? Hoseor?
DeleteHoes or? :O
DeleteAlso the background being snake-men stuff reminds me of the Star Comics MotU issue 4 where Rio Blast and Snout Spout (who have a rivalry) end up fighting King Hiss and (a weirdly brown) Kobra Khan. I dunno if it has anything to do with that old comic but that's what came to my mind. :P
ReplyDeleteI wish Dark Horse would be able to reprint the Star Comics. I'd love to read them! The MOTU team has really been leaning heavily into the Snake Men theme, so it could be inspiration from the Star Comic or just a continuation of the Snake Men focus they've been doing, especially now that the Snake Men playset is coming out.
DeleteYou can read them online if you know where to look. They've all been scanned and preserved nicely. :)
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