Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Action Figure Review: Mosquitor from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 


   Masters of the Universe Origins has been a very strong line in 2021 and some of the best releases have been the deluxe figures. For only about $5 dollar more the deluxe releases have included alternate heads and hands, more weapons and/ or energy effects, and working action features. You get quite a bit of bang for you buck with these guys. Today I'm very excited to check out the newest of the deluxe figures: Mosquitor, the "Evil Energy-draining Insectoid." Mosquitor is a Kribleen insectoid vampire who has allied with the Evil Horde. Released in 1987, Mosquitor was one of the last figures in the line. Since I'm on the younger side of MOTU collectors and was just getting into the line around 1986 and 1987 I actually remember purchasing this guy and he's one of the vintage characters I still have from childhood. Of course, the Origins Mosquitor is a slightly more modern redo that feels very similar to the vintage figure, though with the updated modern articulation. Let's check out Mosquitor after the break...




The Facts:

Height 6 1/4 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/hinge knees, ball jointed hips, waist swivel, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a double ball jointed head.

Accessories: Laser pistol, two interchangeable portraits, two interchangeable left hands, energy effect, and minicomic.  

Non-Scalper Price: $20-$22 dollars

Comparison:

* The Origins Mosquitor is on the left while the vintage Mosquitor is on the right. Appearance wise they're very similar with minor color differences. The Origins Mosquitor has more reddish gloves and shoulder pads while his head a more of a reddish-orange than the vintage figure's crimson head. He's also a bit taller with a more slender torso. 

The Positives:



* Mosquitor is looking good hear. He's sleek and decked out in black with red, silver, and purple highlights. He's a very unique looking figure in this line, especially considering most other figures share so many parts. His boots are really cool as are the details on his arms. He still looks humanoid but with some insectoid design elements.

* Technically Mosquitor is supposed to drain energy from his opponents but in most printed material and such his ability is listed as draining energy. Of course, it sure looks like he has a chest cavity filled with blood. Like the vintage figure there is a button on the back of Mosquitor that, when pressed, causes the red liquid in his visible chest cavity to bubble up and drip down. It's pretty cool and as fun now as it was when I was a kid. I love how creepy the blood, I mean "energy," looks!


* Mosquitor comes with two separate portraits, the first of which is his vintage inspired head. It looks both insect-like and mechanical, capturing that blend of organic and technology that is intrinsic to so any Horde designs. His eyes really stand out and the head itself has a great range of motion thanks to the barbell styled joint. 


* The second portrait is based on Mosquitor's appearance in Marvel's Star Comics MOTU series. I actually had to look for the source on this one. It's a fantastic headsculpt with a much more organic feel to it. Those yellow eyes and that odd texture are really creepy!



* The MOTU Origins figures are built like the vintage toys but with more modern articulation. While their bulky frames make the articulation a bit clumsy, they do feel like an evolution of the vintage line. Imagine what you would get if you mixed a vintage figure with a MOTUC figure. They're quite fun to play with and they feel very sturdy.

* They're also modular and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!





* Mosquitor comes with two swappable left hands: A fist and a standard grip. They swap easy enough and give you some options when posing this guy.




* Mosquitor of course comes with his classic purple laser gun. It looks almost identical to the vintage accessory and has a lot of nice sculpted detail on it.



* The coolest accessory included with the figure is this energy effect. It fits over Mosquitor's needle nose and then can wrap around the torso of another figure to look like lots of blood, err..., I mean energy, is being sucked out of them. This is the coolest thing ever and I think the MOTU Origins team deserves some serious praise for including such an awesome accessory with Mosquitor. 





* Mosquitor comes packaged with the same minicomic that "Buzz-Saw" Hordak came with. It's a decent little minicomic that's a fun extra and would help any kids picking these up to learn a little something about the characters.
   Mosquitor is an incredible release and quite possibly the best MOTU Origins figure yet. He's pretty impressive and packaged with some extras that really do make for a figure that feels very deluxe. Mosquitor is just a cool design on his own but when you throw in the two headsculpts, the blood pumping action feature, and the energy sucking effect he's definitely a figure that stands out. If every Origins release were this good I wouldn't mind of the line focused on just "deluxe" figures going forward. The extra parts are well worth the price. Mosquitor is Epic and one of the best figures I've picked up this year.


If you're a fan of Mosquitor then check out my review of the Funko POP! Mosquitor #996.

For more Masters of the Universe Origins reviews check out the following:






3 comments:

  1. Yes, indeed. He definitely feels very deluxe compared to the standard figures. Are you very familiar with the Star Comics? I've seen the covers and seen bits and pieces of them from online posts but I can't say I've ever sat down and read one. It'd be nice if they were reprinted in a collection by Dark Horse but I don't know all of the rights issues involved with those.

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  2. I had the vintage figure for a while and it was indeed one of my faves. I really regretted purging him from my collection, so I knew I had to jump on this origins version when it went up for preorder. So far my small origins collection is all sealed on card but darn if im not sorely tempted to rip him out to play with him again.

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  3. These figures are really fun in hand and they look great on display. I've been using some of the DC Direct round black stands for them and they look fantastic on shelves. Origins is putting out so much stuff that I have a whole bookshelf of them so far. Yikes!

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