Saturday, June 3, 2023

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

 
   
   Who's ready for some more Masters of the Universe Origins? If the Snake Men are the KISS of Eternia then Tung Lashor is their Gene Simmons. Think about it! Gene Simmons and Tung Lashor were both elementary school teachers before they found fame, they both formerly dated Cher, and they both guest starred on episodes of Miami Vice. Of course, Gene and Tung are also both most well known for their incredibly long tongues! Tung Lashor might beat Gene's tongue length by at least a foot, but Gene still can breathe fire further. Since the last year or so of Masters of the Universe Origins has focused on the Snake Men, Tung Lashor is the designated member of the faction for this series. I've always liked this guy due to his awesome color scheme and the super cool action feature of his vintage toy. The Origins Tung Lashor doesn't have a true action feature but he still is really, really fun. Let's check out Tung Lashor after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 5 5/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, calve swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Staff, crossbow, tongue, and minicomic.

Non-Scalper Price: $18-$20 dollars








The Positives:



* Man, I just love Tung Lashor's color scheme. That orange chest and purple and blue body is just so cool! He really stands out and looks awesome alongside some other Snake Men or just a group of MOTU villains. I'm not sure Tung Lashor has ever had a bad figure and while this one doesn't really break any new ground, he captures everything cool about the vintage toy with a bit of a modern upgrade. His torso is unique, so that Snake Men logo is sculpted on and not just painted. 


* Tung Lashor has such a cool portrait. He's not a snake (even though he's one of the Snake Men) but is some sort of a frog guy. He has some wicked fangs, though, which you don't usually equate with a frog. He's also sporting some very creepy, serpent-like eyes, though that's not a frog thing, either. I assure you; he's like a poison dart frog meets a tree frog guy or something.




* So, why's he called Tung Lashor? Because he can lash his tongue, baby! Tung Lashor's tongue secretes a powerful, paralyzing toxin and the tongue can be plugged into his mouth. Yeah, rather than an action feature like the vintage toy or an alternate head ike the MOTUC figure, this guy has a plug in tongue. It's kind of fun, though. You can also pretend that He-Man cut his tongue off in batte.




* Since he has a new torso, Tung Lashor gets some cool, warty details all across his body, including his back. He's also covered in that cool camouflage pattern that warns you he's toxic!


* 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.

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



* Like his vintage counterpart, Tung Lashor comes with a cool dragonfly crossbow. The arrow is visible on top and there are some cool techno details on the wings. He can hold this in his froggy hands but there's also a hole in the bottom that allows this to rest on one of his fingers, like it just landed there. Maybe this is also some sort of drone weapon that buzzes around and takes shots at Tung Lashor's enemies?







* Tung Lashor also comes sporting his Snake Man staff in a nice dark purple, just like the vintage toy. It's an odd weapon for sure but it is accurate to the original with some very crisp detailing. It looks pretty nice and compliments the purple on his skin.










* Tung Lashor comes with the minicomic from this series, "Assassin's Aim!" It's a story of Hypno and Roboto trying to stop the Snake Men from assassinating Skeletor, who currently thinks he's their new ally and leader. It's not a full sized minicomic (it's only six pages) but it's well drawn and pretty fun. 

  Tung Lashor is an excellent MOTU Origins figure and if you like what Mattel is doing with this line then I can't imagine you'd have any issues with him. He's bright and colorful, has a removable tongue, and two cool weapons. Origins continues to be a really fun line and Mattel is doing a great job of getting out a nice blend of vintage figures and new additions as well. I'm looking forward to eventually completing the vintage line up in Origins (I have faith!) so it's always cool to get another character closer, especially when they're as awesome as Tung Lashor. He's an Epic figure!


 

If you're looking for more of Tung Lashor check out the MOTUC version of Tung Lashor, the Filmation inspired He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Tung Lashor, the Vinyl SODA Tung Lashor, and the POP! Tung Lashor #884.

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

11 comments:

  1. Yeah, he just stands out so wonderfully.

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  2. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 14, 2023 at 3:29 AM

    Yep, he's super cool, and certainly my favorite Snake Man, with Rattlor a close second. Kobra Khan is cool too, because he's so simple and just looks so classic. Some of these guys don't really work for me though, King Hiss I find downright horrible (although that human face is genuinely *scary* indeed..), and Snake Face is a bit of a mess, really. But yeah, Origins figures of Lady Slither and Fang-Or would definitely be welcome, these two characters are just killer..

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    1. Man, everyone on here seems down on King Hiss! I loved him as a kid and still get a kick out of him. I'm going to review the Masterverse Snake Face soon and he looks like he'll be a real thrill. I find him to be the creepiest.

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    2. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 17, 2023 at 1:22 PM

      Re : Snake Face : well, I can dig the "Medusa's head" job they did on his head, but his body feels a little random/uninspired.. and yeah : snakes coming out of his eyes and mouth orifices must be the creepiest idea in the whole MOTU line.. even Mosquitor's stomach filled with bubbling blood doesn't beat that ! 😉

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  3. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 14, 2023 at 3:43 AM

    One thing that looks weird on Rattlor is those short legs, though. Although I suspect it is supposed to make him look like he's squatting (like, "ready to strike"..). Anyway, when I got him alongside Bolt Man, I remember thinking that this assortment of 2 figures looked kind of "Tex Mex", lol. When you put these 2 guys next to each other, they have that "texan desert" vibe. or maybe a bit Aztec or Mayan too. The Tex Mex MOTU 2-pack, lol.

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    1. My parents did the Southwestern design in our living room when I was a kid and I can see those two figures perfectly fitting in there.

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  4. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 19, 2023 at 6:04 PM

    And of course, Lady Slither and Fang-or will be a Mattel Creations exclusive 2-pack, which you have to order online within a time slot of about 2 minutes before it's out of stock, or then buy slightly later on eBay from some "collector oriented" seller at an extortionate price.. 😤😡😡 Yeah, brilliant, thank you Mattel !

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    1. I do have to say that I can't remember the last time I wasn't able to get a Mattel Creations exclusive. I haven't had any trouble purchasing any figures from them in a long time.

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  5. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 23, 2023 at 6:08 PM

    Oh, and that's not all : from now on, all the vintage figures planned in the Origins line (Sy-Klone, Extendar, Rokkon, Rio Blast, etc..) will be Mattel Creations exclusives, apparently. Mattel make a big deal of the upcoming Filmation sub-line, like it's the second coming, but there's no way I will spend my hard-earned on the same main characters again, just to have more cartoon-accurate versions of these.. On a more positive note, have you seen the new design for the upcoming Masterverse figs (New Eternia Trap Jaw, Skeltek, Sorceress Teela) ? These do look great, I think (smaller window, with actual art on the front)..

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    1. I do like those new boxes. They're very nice with less plastic, but still allow you to see the figure, so I'm down for it.
      I think making the rest of Origins exclusive to Mattel Creations is probably a good idea. They won't have to keep releasing variants to pad out the line at retail and we're definitely more likely to get the rest of the vintage crew and complete the original run. I've had really good success getting what I wanted from Origins and with the line only being on Mattel Creations, I imagine they'll be ready. Most of the big guns have been released, so I don't think these will be as hard to come by, similar to the final years of MOTUC.
      The Filmation figures look OK, but yeah, it's kind of a new head on a slightly reworked body. I'll probably want to see them in person before I pick them up, but I could definitely be down for true Filmation versions of certain characters.

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  6. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 24, 2023 at 1:39 PM

    Sorry, I meant "the new design for the boxes of the upcoming Masterverse figs"..

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