At no point in my entire life did I ever sit around saying "Boy howdy, I hope someday Mattel or someone gives me a toy Nepthu." I'm sure Mattel knew that too - I think a large part of their planning for this line is that they keep figures we don't think we want a secret at the time of the subscription, because they know that we're going to like it once it gets in our hands. The figure itself doesn't look exactly like the cartoon - a little more eyeshadow would've helped and would sell the Egyptian motif - but we still get a delightful figure in a silly hat, and really, what more can you ask for in life?
At 7-inches tall, Nepthu is more or less what you've come to expect from one of these figures. New head, new loincloth, an ankh, Count Marzo's hands, Triklops' wrists, Bow's boots, and I think those biceps are new. Oh, and his neck placemat is new, too. If you compare it to the Filmation animation model, it's nicely close enough. The only real downside here is that the face looks so gosh darned friendly - if the box said "Prince Adam's cousin from Egypternia" you'd probably be none the wiser, but those in the know are aware Nepthu is a bad guy. I've got upwards of 10 action figures - I stopped counting early on - and this is probably the kindest looking bad guy I own. Even the Imaginext mummy looks more menacing than Nepthu, but it's still a compelling figure with a dash of orange on his mostly blue costume.
His primary accessory is the Sun Scarab, which is an orange scarab set inside the loop part of an ankh. It looks sufficiently Egyptian, and is cast in a flexible plastic painted gold. It fits fairly well into his (Marzo's) hand and probably grants him unlimited power until He-Man and Duncan drop by to hand him his butt before turning to the camera to tell you that if you find a mystic talisman in your home, don't touch it - call your parents or an adult before the sand monsters eat your neighbors! Also, you get a clear Zoar.
What's cool about this is Mattel and the Four Horsmen really went the extra mile here - sure, they could have cast the current Zoar/Screech/Glory Bird mold in clear colorless plastic, but opted instead to make an entirely new mold for the crystal version of Zoar. Transformed by dark magic, the figure is a completely new sculpt with exquisitely sculpted wings that look like they fell right out of a classic cartoon or some sort of mural in a shopping mall ca. 1976. The angles of the designs in the wings give you a vague impresion of feathers, but they really do feel like an amazing retro design. The head is in a different perching position, making it look more like a crystal statue than a transmogrified version of one of our heroes. It's a really impressive accessory that can grip a perch (sold separately, dadgummit) if you're so inclined. I really like the sculpt here and I hope Mattel considers creating other birds from this design - I bet this mold would look wonderful in other colors.
I don't understand why Mattel makes some figures "sub-only" and others not - to me, Nepthu would make sense as a subscription exclusive because he's arguably not as exciting as Batros or Shokoti, as a going rate below retail price on eBay would confirm. That's good news for you - you're probably going to want to pick this one up eventually given its nifty bird accessory and it's another addition to Mattel's Eternian take on various Earthy races. The packaging puts him as an associate of Count Marzo who went on to work for King Hsss. He's a sword or a dagger away from a perfect dismount, so feel free to snag him if the price is right.
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