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No subscribers.  No comments.  Wonder what went wrong?  I might need to change plans…...

Skeletor…..Evil Lord of Destruction MOTUC Toy Review

Today I am going to review TWO Skeletor figures.  Regular, and Battle Armor.

Regular Skeletor has a really nice sculpt.  I never noticed, but apparently it isn't really vintage accurate. Mattel opted to share parts, since he was one of the earliest figures, and gave him the same arms as Whiplash.  (I never noticed until Dragon Blaster Skeletor was revealed, and people talked about parts swapping the two to make a perfect Skeletor.)

Battle Armor Skeletor has the same sculpt, but some paint differences.  Regular Skeletor has a blue body and torso, while Battle Armor Skeletor is painted shiny purple underneath the armor.  This was to accomodate the "belly shirt" problem that this "sports bra" type of armor creates.  You won't notice it as much unless you try putting the battle armor on regular Skeletor.  Then it is a glaring fashion foux pa.

The head sculpt of these two appears to be the same….but the paint is really different.  Regular Skeletor's face was too yellow (or is that green?).  Battle Armor Skeletor had the perfect look.  So I swapped their heads, since I gave the Battle Armor version to one of the SpartanSmurfs.  They never noticed.  (Some people have put Molar Skeletor's head on Battle Armor Skeletor, making a battle damaged look.  Since I don't have that….)

Of course there are no real action features.  Battle Armor Skeletor has armor with a swappable chest piece that can show battle damage.  A real nerd will remember that the vintage version had an action mechanism that would "flip" if you touched it.  With the MOTUC version, you just decide how you want to display him.

Regular Skeletor comes with the all important Havoc Staff, a half sword, and a full sword.  Battle Armor Skeletor comes with only a purple battle axe.

The truth is, I ordered Battle Armor first….should have done my research.  He didn't come with the Havoc Staff, though originally I thought he was the cooler version.  When I got the Regular one in hand, I changed my mind.

I am very happy with Skeletor.  I suppose he should get a 5/5, but let's not forget that I head swapped with Battle Armor Skeletor.  If you want a more perfect version, you are going to have to order both.  Or order all three if you are a perfectionist, and mix and match parts.  (The third variant being Dragon Blaster Skeletor.)  So for me, this makes him a 4/5.  Do you agree?  Let me know in a comment.

Dont forget about my contest! (link)

Why I Choose AZORIUS

Why I, the SpartanNerd, chooses AZORIUS

When I began playing Magic: The Gathering, It was right when the Magic 2012 Core Set was released.  I found some Magic 2011 cards on sale also, and scooped them up.  Right away I identified with the Zombies and such.  I am drawn to the black magic.  That's me in general.  I find that stuff entertaining.

But Azorius is Blue and White!

When Magic Core Set 2013, came out, many of the cards I had come to love became illegal in standard.  So I began to experiment.  The Green style of playing just doesn't work for me.  And neither does Red.  I found that I do as well with White as I did Black.  But the Blue style magic reminded me the most of Majaya from Shadow Era.  With lots of control spells, etc.

So Azorius was pushed out in Return to Ravnica, is a combination of Blue and White, two styles that I play well.  How well?  Well last night I won half of my matches and would have been top eight if I wasn't forced to take a loss for being late.  AND I BEAT A CAREER PLAYER!  So I'm feeling good today.

When I think about who beats me the most, it is usually Gruul (Red and Green).  So my Azorius deck is designed to keep Gruul specifically under control.  The Gruul players like to bloodrush, Titanic Growth, etc, but they can't if you are armed with defensive spells.  And that is what Azorius is all about.  A good defense is your offense.

You see, I really believe that, way down in my heart.

read DEFENSIVE LINEMAN!  NOSEGUARD!

So I detain the attacking creatures, and shut down Gruul.  Do I win every time?  No. But I am ready for these aggressive strategies.  And some of my deal is I'm an idiot player.  My two actual losses last night came from bonehead decisions.  AND, I forgot that "Ruric Thar, the Unbowed" penalizes non-creature spells….New Card Syndrome!

But it was very satisfying when one of these Gruul players had five attackers, and one bloodrushed, and I had been holding "Aetherize" in my hand.  NOT GETTING THROUGH!  This was him being a bonehead.  He should have known something was up when I didn't attack him.

And I took two wins by attacking with small, cheap creatures.  "Azorius Arrester" gave one guy 18 damage.  "Azorius Arrester"….a 2/1 wimp hit him at least 9 times.  My opponent couldn't touch me.  Also "Lyev Skyknight" did well for me.  I was able to detain "Fog Banks", other flyers, etc.  I had four "fatties" hit the board at the right times last night.  They served their purposes well.

I got milled one time.  I couldn't do anything about that.  This was a time I should have mulliganned on down to five.

My Azorius strategy didn't do well against stuff with haste and flash.  "Yeva, Nature's Herald" became a problem for me.  It didn't do well when the proper manna wasn't available (no one does, right)   Just the same, I really believe in this strategy.

Think about it.  I am a teacher.  I am always saying…."Stop that." (Negate)  "No Talking" (Render Silent) "Go to the office" (Oblivion Ring, Detention Sphere). "I know you didn't just…" (Rain of Blades)…

See what I mean.  I might be drawn to the Black Magic for entertainment purposes.  But I AM AZORIUS.

Until I decide to switch, I guess.

FIRST EVER GIVE AWAY!

OK.  News this big deserves my first ever GIVE AWAY!!!!

DC NEW 52 and MOTU Crossover!!!

If you subscribe to my blog, and comment on this post by Thursday, May 16, 11:59PM Eastern Time, you will be in the running for a prize!  A sealed copy of AQUAMAN #19, plus a little bit more, comics related, not decided yet!  I will ship internationally!  Be sure you leave a way for me to contact you.

Good Luck!  I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!

Best News EVER!!!!

MOTU+DC New 52!!!!  (click to link to the story)

HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE FIT RIGHT IN WITH THE NEW52 LOOK!

Do I even need to say more?

Have you been reading this blog?  If so, then you know that I am into both properties BIG TIME!

I'm going to celebrate by playing MTG tonight.  A new AZORIUS strategy!

Groovy Dork List (issue II)

Groovy Dork List II

Groovy  I got an extra Aquaman comic in the Mail!  Looks like I might have a give-away soon!

Dork  What's up with the news about a "red clear colored" Hordak figure?  So we can't have filmation colors, but we can have this weird variant, which is being offered as a rare "legendary" type figure?



Groovy  SoundGarden!  Man, I can't get enough of them it seems lately.

Dork  Too bad I can't go to the Carolina Rebellion this weekend and see them.



Groovy  I picked up some recent comics for a quarter a piece at the Edge of the World Public Library!

Dork  I haven't mentioned Free Comic Book Day yet.  Because I didn't get anything good.  They were wiped out at both the Tangled Web and Mad Max's Comics on Saturday by the time I got there.



Groovy  Rumor has it that the MOTUC subscription may be a bit cheaper this time.  I hope so.  Maybe I can subscribe and get in on some of the best stuff in MOTU.  Still to come are "Two Bad" and associated characters "Tuvarr" and "Badra," "Modulok/Multibot/Megabeast," 200x Evil Lynn, "Tongue Lasher," "Blade," "Saurod," and more, which I really want.

Dork  I don't care much for POP.  Not that I don't like it.  But that is not what I am interested in collecting.  But it appears that next year is going to have a ton of POP characters.  I personally think they should offer POP as a separate subscription.  Kind of like the Filmation Sub and the 30th anniversary sub.  And keep it MOTU vintage in the main line.  We already got our She-Ra and Cat-ra. And Bo.  Leave those other guys for the POP fans to buy.  Don't force them on those who don't want them.  Which is part of the reason I've been a cherry picker thus far.



Groovy  Baja Limon chips are SOOO GOOOD.  I picked mine up where all the cheapskates shop.  Big Lots!

Dork  The schools are encouraging Meatless Monday now.  These kids are pasty enough as it is.  Most of them are already iron deficient.  And your going to take away their meat now?  Unwise, people.  Unwise.  AND it would be different if they offered a healthy meatless choice.  Instead….Nacho Cheese?  I thought we were trying to COMBAT CHILDHOOD OBESITY!


"How can you have puddin' if ya don't eat yer meat!"

200 Pageviews! Let's celebrate!!!

Well.  Anyway, the MacBook Pro took a fall today, and isn't working right  :(

I still stand by my advice.  But I am worried it's gonna haunt my cheapskate ways.  I will keep my loyal readers informed!

(I typed this on my desktop iMac, 2006 "iSight" model.)

Toy Review.......Panthor, Masters of the Universe Classics

Yesterday I reviewed Battle Cat.  So today I will give you a review of Panthor.  There are a lot of similarities!

So if you read my review of Battle Cat, you already know what you are getting.  Except this time it's purple.  And instead of a tiger-based beast, it is a panther-based beast.

This time nudity doesn't seem so wrong.  Panthor was usually depicted without his saddle and armor on the Filmation show.  (At least that is how I remember him the most.)  He has the same joints as Battle Cat.  He has a different head-sculpt, though.

Many people complain that Panthor is not flocked.  I am personally glad that the Four Horsemen decided to just stick with a molded plastic and painted look.  Flocking would have obscured all of the wonderful details.  Did anyone see the 200x monstrosity that was supposed to pass for Panthor?  It was WAY too fluffy.  And though the figure does lose something tactile, it more than makes up for it by being beautifully executed.

The head sculpt is more laid back....what I mean is his ears are back, like he's really angry.  He has different whiskers than Battle Cat, and personally, I think a cuter face, but angry just the same.

So what about his accessories?  Here is where the Four Horsemen got creative. The saddle and armor (one piece) are exactly the same as Battle Cat's, only a shiny green that really pops against the purple fur.  Think "Emerald Green," if it does you well.  And then there is the headpiece.

The vintage Panthor did not have a headpiece.  This was an area where Battle Cat definitely had Panthor beat.  But now, OH BOY!  Panthor has an awesome helmet featuring little horns that match what is on the armor, with some giant ram horns added!  I love the helmet so much I usually display him with it on.  But lots of people seem to detest it.  I heard someone on Roast Gooble Dinner say they wanted to smash it with a sledgehammer.   Really?  Come on guys.  It's not that bad.  Just different than vintage.  This helmet reminds me of that crazy vehicle from the Mike Young show that Skeletor used to destroy Hordak's shrine.  It is a good compliment to Skeletor's Havoc Staff as well.

For the record, the two cats' helmets do not interchange.

Panthor suffers from the same problems as Battle Cat.  Loose joints, droopy head, questionable stirrups.

So, I'll leave you with some pictures.  I am quite fond of Battle Cat, being a "good guy" most of the time as a kid.  But dare I say I like this Panthor better?  Maybe I'll get a Griffin next? (Links to Pixel Dan video)   The Griffin would look great with Vikor!

Panthor gets a 4/5.

Toy Review.......Battle Cat (Masters of the Universe Classics)

I've had Battle Cat for awhile now.  I play with it about as much as I do He-Man from the same toyline.  Which is to say, not much.  He is more of a display piece.  It is fun to set him on the table while playing Magic cards, however.  Maybe add a further fantasy element to the whole thing.

So here's what I think after all this time.

Battle Cat is HUGE.   The regular figure size is closer to 7 inches.  So Battle Cat, who is classified as a "beast" is scaled to look right with a 7 incher sitting on him.

Let me just say.  This figure is OVER THE TOP!  The sculpt is marvelous.  The articulation is good.  and I mean, WOW.  Mattel and the Four Horsemen really did this thing right!

Battle Cat probably weighs about a pound.  He came in a "window box" package.  And since I just usually throw that part away, I don't have any pictures.

I guess I'll start with him naked.  Lot's of articulation to explore.

Is it cold in here?  Or is it just you?

His jaws move.  His head turns, apart from his neck.  His neck moves up and down.  He has "torso" articulation in the middle. His tail moves on a ball joint, so you can pose it any way you want.  His shoulder and hips move back and forth.  His back legs have knee joints (hinge style), his elbows have a ball joint.  He has two shin pieces on the back legs.  And his feet are on ball joints, that also have a hinge.

Needless to say, you can pose Battle Cat any way you want just about!  Unfortunately, the naked Battle Cat still doesn't look like cringer.  He's too serious and menacing, with those big teeth and that angry look in his eyes.

The Third Commandment.  No animal shall wear clothes

Put some clothes on!  Seriously, Battle Cat comes with the same two armor pieces the vintage version came with.  A helmet, and a saddle.  Now, my first instinct was to try and make the saddle fit all the way up on the cat's shoulders.  But apparently, that is not ever how it was supposed to look.  He-Man sits back closer to Battle Cat's flanks  on this toy, as opposed to the more central position on the vintage version.  This means a big chunk of armor hangs over the tail, which actually makes sense if you think about it.  This makes the saddle a loose fit.  If you try and put it on closer, though, it is almost too tight for the belt to work.  The helmet fits snugly and looks cool.  I hope I put it on right.  I heard Eamon O'Donahue flipping out on the Roast Gooble Dinner podcast about people not putting the helmet on straight!  (the link is not to the specific episode)

So, do I have any gripes.  I mean, it took me awhile to figure out the correct way to put on the armor.  I think it looks better the way it is supposed to be, but at first I was trying hard to make it look like the vintage.  And here is my second complaint.  Battle Cat is a weakling!  seriously!  The helmet weighs enough to make his head droop.  In fact, it droops without the helmet on.  That neck joint is kinda loose.  There are two little "stirrups" on both sides of the armor.  I call them stirrups because that is what they are.  But Mattel tried to play them off and say that they were places to put extra weapons.  That's a load of BS.  Kind of like the reversed forearms on Stinkor being a design choice.  I smell a rat skunk.

So what do I rate this figure?  I give Battle Cat a 4/5.  Over time his neck has gotten looser, and so have his other joints.  :(   Still, his sculpt is superb.  And He-Man feels complete riding on Battle Cat.  If only I had a Teela to sit on the back.  (I think I heard that she doesn't fit anyway.  Oh well.  I have no fe-male figures to try out.)

"Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore'"

Dragon's Maze, Magic the Gathering Trading Card Game Review

I got my pre-order in for a Fat Pack of Magic The Gathering Dragon's Maze cards on Wednesday at Mad Max's Comics and Games, and picked it up after work on Friday, as I was permitted.  I also bought the pre-made Azorius deck that goes with Dragon Maze.  Me and my two boys played "Booster Draft" with the included 9 booster packs from the Fat Pack.  Last night I tweaked that Azorius deck.  Here are my thoughts.

Booster Drafting was kind of hard....we only had two "mythic rare" cards.  Also the "rare" cards were also scant.  Each pack come with a guild gate, and it seems that each of our packs also came with at least one "cluestone."  (Similar to the "keyrunes" in the previous two sets.  Basically throwaway cards.)
But after we got going, and pulled the cards we wanted, I can kind of see what is happening here.

You see, "Dragon's Maze" is a kind of set meant to overturn the applecart of the previous two sets.  For instance, in my experience, Azorius was kind of weak.  Detain was great, until, you couldn't detain.  Then you were screwed.  The creatures tend to be smaller and detain tends to trigger only when the creatures enter the battlefield.  So people playing against Azorius kind of knew what to expect.  So the Dragon Maze comes along, and adds more detain, and gives a few more larger creatures to play.  BAM.  Forget that janky three-color mess.  Azorius is strong enough on its on.

For Simic, evolve never really took off.  It was OK to add to your already working green deck, but didn't seem to be a strategy that worked on its own.  Dragon's maze is set to fix that.

Boros was too strong.  So in Dragon's Maze, most of the cards that are worth anything seem to be more expensive to cast.  Hence, a way that some other guilds might be able to get out front.

How about some other things of note....I believe the new "Maze's End" legendary land is rediculus.  Come on.  Really?  Control 10 gates with different names, you win the game.  Did anyone try and play "Hellkite Tyrant" in Gatecrash?  So you load your deck up with keyrunes and other artifacts, you might be able to build up to 20 if the other players play artifacts.  When you control 20 artifacts, you win the game.  Maybe this card will work in Commander?  Otherwise, there is just no way.  And that is my feeling with Maze's End, except that there are no legendary's (in my knowledge) that are five color.

So this card is there just so you can say you have one, I guess.

Also, this time each guild gets a legendary creature to run the maze.  We pulled exactly two of these out of the booster packs.  One kid got the Gruul one.  The other got the Izzet.  Neither seemed that great to me.  Maybe time will give a different answer.  Since I bought the Azorius deck, I have the foil Azorius legendary.  She detains creatures of four converted mana cost or less.  By the time you are on turn 5, which is the minimum for casting her, an opponent likely has a fatty out. So, it works good against the weak cards.....not the endgame cards.  At least she has protection from red!

Fuse is another different idea.  Now you can cast a split card as a single play.  "Turn" and "Burn" for instance.

I like it so far.  Of the three, "Return to Ravnica" "Gatecrash" and "Dragon's Maze," I would say that "Gatecrash" was the best.  It got me thinking more aggressively about the game, with Boros and the "battalion" ability finding synergy with "exalted" and "haste," and Grull with it's crazy aggro "bloodrush" ability.  I suppose "Dragon Maze" is so far my least favorite of the block.

"Chronic Flooding"  (It has rained gallons lately!)

First Hiatus....

Trust me.  I didn't want to take a break from blogging......This was the first time.....Turns out my real life is more important that my digital life!

That's OK.  A barrage of posts are forthcoming!