One of my favorite things about Masters of the Universe Classics is how they plunge the archives to find weird vintage 1980s designs they never used. Like Battle Cat and Panthor, Gygor was originally conceived as a modified toy from the Big Jim line, which like Max Steel modern toy collectors neither know nor care about. (Larger-scale action figures are things most children of the 1980s ignored.) Anyway, a gorilla from that line was painted yellow, given a red cape, and handed some Darth Vader armor to make this character which, in 2010, was released as Gygor. It's really friggin' big, his gauntlets, helmet, and vambraces are separate pieces, and looks like a delightful otherworldly mutant with green skin and yellow fur.
The figure has a hollow torso and isn't a solid, heavy figure but that doesn't mean he isn't worth it. If you're a fan of lines like Battle Beasts or to a lesser extent, ThunderCats you can probably get behind the idea of strangely-colored animals in armor. Even with slightly less articulation, 13 joints is a lot more than I'd have needed to want this bizarre character. I mean, if it were a statue for $30, I'd have bought that too. His snarling face brings you a hyperrealistic ape, something which looks simultaneously plausible and ridiculous. I don't think I'd ever actually see one up close, but I don't think I'd balk at him if I saw him in a decent fantasy movie. Just keep in mind, the articulation-- while good-- isn't as good as your average basic figure.
He shares the same body and most of the limbs as the Shadow Beast, but I like Gygor more just because he's so dang weird. Just think about it-- somewhere on Eternia are apes who have their lives together enough to fashion huge axes, giant capes, and strange fantastical armor which look like Clone Wars-era Sith chic. I haven't yet tried to pry off all his gear to do a "naked" shot, but I can say that the gear is quite well-decorated. If you look at the close-ups, you'll notice individually painted silver rivets plus other noticeable differences in the black deco. For example, some parts of his outfit look like a leathery color, while others are glossy armor. Were this toy made in the 1980s, it would all be "black" but Mattel really did do a bang-up job spending money on paint for the big guy.
He has no problems holding on to his axe and so far in my play testing, he holds up quite nicely. My gripes? One, his helmet seemed sort of stuck to his body armor when I opened it. It had to be torn apart a bit, and while I noticed no paint damage I'm guessing your mileage may vary. Two, there's a little slop. Some of the glossy black from his helmet molted off onto the ape head, which isn't a problem if you never take off the head gear. But if you do? You might notice it. Still, this is me picking a nit-- the paint job is pretty amazing, particularly on his face. The eyes are mean, the snout is excellent, and that mouth? Outstanding. The dirt and wear on the teeth, the detail on the tongue, it even looks wet in there. This item looks better than resin statues or busts at twice the price, and is another in an ongoing line of awesome apes crafted by the Four Horsemen. Like Cy-Gor.
Even though he isn't as impressive as a standard figure from this line from a purely technical standpoint, it's an insane idea that makes for a gorgeous action figure. I love stories about unused concept art and lost or abandoned designs, so this guy is quite possibly one of the most fun new characters I've seen in years. Granted, if they did a minotaur or a 2-legged penguin or a mammoth man, I'd buy that too. It walks the fine line between classic pulp and the various mutant animal toys of the 1980s, and it's right at home here. And it looks like it could rip your face off. I love you, face-ripper monkey. And Megator loves your axe.
...a quick addendum, I got mine on sale at Mad Matty March for $29.70. He was originally issued at $30.00, and in 2012 all $30 toys were raised to $33. However, he wasn't available prior to this sale, so as far as I know he's never actually sold for $33. The sale is on through March 20, and if you're on the fence I'd say go get him. I just got him in the mail last week finally-- I waited this long because I wanted to buy several figures at once to save on shipping-- and am glad I finally got one.
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