It’s October and that means one thing here in the Ant Hill — Halloween! Let’s kick off the ghoulish fun with a killer entry from 1978!
Growing up in the mid-’70s, super-heroes were everywhere — on TV, in the movies, at Sea World — but most importantly, they were found every week in comic books. As a kid, comics were like sunlight and oxygen to me, essential components of daily existence. Finding a new issue of The Amazing Spider-Man was a celebrated occurrence, but finding an old one was better than Christmas in July. When I wasn’t reading about superheroes, I was drawing them, but unlike Alex Ross or Todd MacFarlane, I never went on to comics super-stardom. I just couldn’t get my heroes to look like heroes; my Spider-Man appeared to be made of balloons, my Hulk looked more like the Kingpin with spinach for hair. Like countless kids, I couldn’t really draw, but thanks to TOMY, I didn’t have to!
The MIGHTY MEN & MONSTER-MAKER debuted in 1978 and became an instant classic. Anyone who ever had one will remember it, and if you didn’t have one, well, brother, you missed out. As a toy it actually delivered on the promise of “hours of fun,” keeping me busy on many a rainy day. I mean, even the box is cool!
You assemble your creation from a selection of head, torso and leg tiles (you get six of each) that connect within the drawing frame. A piece of paper is placed over the tiles but under the frame, and then rub the “special” crayon over the paper, and Eureka! You’ve created a creature!
Yeah, I’d buy a comic with those guys in it. Someone get Grant Morrison on the phone.
The tiles represent heroic and monstrous archetypes of the 20th century. You’ve got both Marvel- and DC-style heroes, a Flash Gordon/Buck Rodgers-type spaceman, a Frankenstein Monster and Mummy, as well as some truly interesting “alien” designs that look like something out of Barlow’s Guide to Extraterrestrials. The art is terrific, top-notch spot illos by Dave Stevens, who later went on to create a little comic called The Rocketeer.
Hubba-hubba! I mean, nice line-work…
So let’s use this puppy! I’ve chosen a “mighty man” to demonstrate, but don’t worry — there will be monsters, too.
Pick your tiles, lay ’em in the tray, and cover with a nice clean piece of paper like so:
Take your special crayon (OK, any crayon) and rub firmly across the paper’s surface. You end up with this:
Pretty cool, huh? It works as well as the day it was made; however, the unique, hard-wax wedge of crayon the kit came with is long gone, and the pastels I chose in it’s stead were a bit too soft, so I didn’t get the full effect. Still, it was a blast to play with again. The seemingly-infinite possibilities returned, as the heroes and monsters I’d created three decades ago came back to life before my eyes. It was the best kind of nostalgia, a quiet confirmation that something I’d once loved was just as great as I remembered.
Belated kudos to Stevens and TOMY. It’s obvious a lot of thought went into the artwork, since all of the tiles are compatible. This allows for some truly mad science, as you fuse hero and villain together in impossible combinations.
This baby stands the test of time — it’s just as cool and fun as it was when it was first released. In fact, it would be a smart move on a contemporary toy company’s part to reissue it, perhaps with extra sets of updated tiles reflecting other art styles and genres. It’s a great toy that’s also a great value. With no batteries needed or parts to wear out (other than your crayon), it could conceivably last forever, as long as you don’t lose the tiles, that is. As a kid I couldn’t help it, using the heads as holograms or pressing them into clay to make cool patterns. Alas, my kit didn’t stay complete for very long.
There was a “girls” version as well, called “Fashion Plates.” It featured gals wearing dresses instead of sportin’ scaly lizard torsos. Now, I’ve never seen it in person, but the Monster-Maker in me has to wonder how a stylish young lady might look with tentacles instead of arms. I’m thinkin’ it would be pretty cool…
Happy Halloween from the Ant Hill!
Okay! So, as I am sure you know by now, the Matty Collector October sale is TOMORROW, and there are all kinds of things going up for sale from DC to Voltron. We have been able to bring you several previous First Looks covering most of what will be offered, but Mattel was kind enough to get us a few more items over the weekend so we could rush some pictures up for you. That means the the Great Unrest Weapons Pak is up first with the Club Infinite Earths Elasti-Girl soon to follow. I know we usually try to give you some conversation with your pictures, but these first couple will be light on the English and heavy with the pixels. Ready? Set? Go!
It has been a bit since we have had a new MOTUC weapons pak, but after this one, I REALLY hope the tradition continues. We normally bring you these features in a Project Runway style commentary (complete with Tim Gunn-dar), but since that show lost any type of relevance it might have had a long time ago, we will save you from another Eternian Fashion Week.
As you know, this is the first pak to actually feature NEW items instead of all repaints, and if this is what can happen going forward, I want more. I mean, we already need a repainted Bubble Power She-Ra sword and an all-new face mask for the January-shipping Netossa, so let’s just get a jump on it. I really dig the thought process behind this set, and while I am not a particular fan of all of the repaint choices, the new stuff is all great. I know that some are of the mind that we should have just gotten things like Draego-Man’s whip when he shipped, but cut accessories are part of our reality, so having the chance to get something I would normally not have a shot at will keep me interested. Plus, things like the Man-at-Arms cannon or Keldor swords (things not originally intended for an actual figure release) should be constants as well. If we can get the make-up of the pak’s to be at least 50 percent new, with repaints that make sense, I think this can continue to be a successful out-of-the-subscription offering.
That is my say for the commentary, short and sweet. Let’s run down the pieces from my bottom to top so we can end with what I consider to be the best piece in the set.
Green Club
Toy Guru and Mattel have already taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to this since, for some reason, the design team decided to give us the Clawful club again, but in pretty much the exact same color. I mean, it is a little lighter shade of green, but I don’t know if anyone will have any kind of strong positive reaction just because it is simply not different enough. I don’t know, maybe I will display it with my Clawful just to say I did, but I don’t think anyone will notice.
Maroon Teela Sword
I have to admit it, I have always posed my Teela figure with the short sword that came with the original Man-at-Arms. I just think that it’s more appropriate for her. I don’t have her in the Cobra Armor, and since she is Captain of the Guard, a more utilitarian sword, rather than a personalized one, works for me. That has never been my favorite accessory in the first place. This one doesn’t really match anything (including the pink Cobra Armor of this set) and unlike the original, the maroon portions are flat with no other paint details.
Turquoise Carnivus Sword and Shield
These are both repaints of the Chief Carnivus accessories, as you can plainly see. One of the cool things about that shield is that it had a lion crest that recalls the design of the Eternia Central Tower. So I REALLY like that the colors (especially in the shield) evoke that closely. The thing is, I don’t think there is really anyone to give them to. The colors clash with Carnivus something awful, and they just don’t look completely appropriate with anyone else at this point. I will hold onto them though for the hope that they will find a home in the display someday. Either way, I really dig that shield.
Light Blue Teela Shield
Ah, Evil-Lyn finally has a matching shield, so if you have been waiting for one, it will be good to bring it home. It matches the light blue in her wand well, so she will remain both evil and coordinated. It is flatly cast in the blue plastic and serves its purpose well, but I think I would have preferred a purple He-Man shield for Skeletor at this point though. Either way, Lyn fans have more accessorizing options for the future.
Green Shell Shield
Here is a case of my liking the repaint more than the original. Clawful came with a red version of this shield, as you recall, but I never really got the logic of that. That would either have be a molted shell of his own, or he killed another crab dude (probably a kid) to get it. Sure, that sounds evil, but he is pretty armored without it. This one, however, may actually go GREAT with the upcoming Dekker figure. See, he lives on the Orcas Island now, so him picking up that shell to use as a shield is very logical to me. Plus, it matches his color scheme really well. I originally thought this one would be a dud, but I really like it now for Dekker, especially since he just has his club.
Pink Cobra Armor and Staff
You know, this is just one of those cases where the color just works for these pieces. I know there is historical precedence for this, but even if there was not, I would still love the color of this set. We don’t have anything like it in the line yet, so it is sure to stand out. Plus, Teela looks great in it.
Horde Prime Staff
Yes! Here we go! Now, this is something that I wish was originally included with the actual Prime figure, but I will certainly take it here. I actually like this staff better than the crossbow attachment that came with Prime, and now Hordak’s staff will go back into the accessory bin. This is the type of “cut” item that should continue to show up in these sets (if they have to).
Keldor Swords
I know, there are a lot of people that would probably put these at the top, but I was not pining for them as strongly as some. That does not keep them from being really, really nice, though. They separate into the the gold and purple sides (unlike the Power Con version), and Keldor looks absolutely fantastic with them. I cannot imagine that these could have been done any better (they lock together nice an tight), and they will surely be loved by most MOTUC collectors. I love them.
White Falcon
Temple of Darkness Sorceress needs her bird. Period. I actually love the recurring theme of the birds with the Sorceresses in this line, and since I use my ToD Sorceress as a unique character (Vikor’s Sorceress), having the white falcon was very important to me. My one nitpick is that since the blue highlights on the Sorceress figures (in the mask eyes) were changed to purple, I wish the blues on the bird would have been changed as well to match up perfectly, but I am not too fussed about it. I suppose the NEXT pak needs the armor and stands to go with it. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.
Man-at-Arms Cannon
Okay, I realize that this and the Keldor swords are probably what are selling these sets more than anything, and rightfully so. The cannon has been Classicized just right right, and there is even an included handle for the wearer to grip so that it doesn’t slide around. It is a nice chunk of plastic and Man-at-Arms (especially using the body from the Snake version) looks great with it. My MAA has his mace, so he doesn’t need the cannon, but that just means that my palace guard lieutenant benefits from that, and now Lt. Spector looks great with it on. It also means that Matty will get me to buy another set so my second lieutenant will have one too.
Draego-Man Shield, Sword and Whip
Yeah, there was no way all of this stuff was going to come with Draego, especially since he had to be more expensive a figure on his own. The thing is, though, I like ALL of these pieces better than the actual flame sword that was included with the figure. The shield is the best of them all, and the sculpt and the removable flames really put it over the top. My new new default display for Draego-Man will now include the shield and the whip, but the sword is so nice too that I might find a spot for it somewhere else.
Okay, so the Draego-Man stuff, arm cannon, Keldor swords, and Falcon really make this set, but there are some nice repaint options too. I hope that we will get another pak around this time next year, I already mentioned the sword and mask for Netossa, and the purple He-Man shield, but something like a repainted Kobra Khan gun in blue would be great for Stinkor, and FilMation provides a lot of artifacts that could really spruce up future sets. Like I said, this is the best Weapons Pak yet and I hope they continue to expand on them in the future.
- Thanks for reading and thanks to Toy Guru and crew for sending these along for our First Look. Lots more is coming soon so stay tuned!
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