Monkian Ultimates! First Look with Toy Bro
What a pleasure to finally be writing about ThunderCats ULTIMATES! again. It’s less than five months since we last touched base with our favorite YouTuber and toy reviewer, ToyBro, and this time we can talk about all four figures of the newest Wave 4 from Super7. This wave is currently on the water alongside Wave 2 and will be shipping to customers in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on your inbox for shipping notifications. Until then, let’s whet our appetites for the first new release of 2022.
TC.org: Time to pop the champagne and light the cigars!! We’re finally moving forward with our favorite toyline, and we’ve got new ThunderCats incoming. You must be very excited to have these in hand, right?
Very! This time around is different since it’s a full wave, nothing held back, everything we’ve been waiting for in one box. And this wave has a bit of something for everyone, too.
TC.org: Tell us, when that surprise package arrives on your doorstep, do you stop what you’re doing and open them up to have a peek first? What is your routine from arrival till filming commences?
TB: Ha, it really depends on when they arrive. As much as I want to rip open the box and start pulling stuff out, they usually arrive while I’m working, so I try to at least get one open just to have a look as soon as possible, then tackle them once I’m done working. When they’re just sitting there waiting to be opened, it’s tough to not drop what I’m doing and just play. But when I do get the time, I get them all out one by one, so I can go through them individually without having a mountain of figures and accessories to rifle through all at once. Helps me to better get my bearings on an individual figure, too, when I’m about to look at multiple new things.
TC.org: Let’s talk the very first character—the mighty Monkian. He completes the OG trio from the first few episodes of ThunderCats. Is he everything you expected him to be?
TB: He’s more, but in a very different way than expected. He looks great right off the bat, but there’s something about this figure that feels different, especially in comparison to Lion-O or Panthro. This feels like the direction we all want these figures to go in.
TC.org: He has a plethora of accessories — an ultimate version indeed! Which of these stand out to you and why?
TB: The “expressive” head is probably the standout for me. It’s got a great sculpt and paint, but there’s a lot of character to it, so it’ll help him to stand out a bit more. The cannon shield is also a really cool traditional weapon accessory, just because of how goofy it is with his head in gold on the front of it.
TC.org: Let’s talk heads. There is the more standard version and the more expressive one. Do you think he would’ve benefitted from having a closed-mouth version? Or a version where his helmet was loose like the vintage toy?
TB: The more standard head is pretty close to a full-on closed-mouth head. He’s got a bit of a snarl, but it’s closed enough for me. I don’t know that I feel a removable helmet is necessary for me on this one. I don’t see him ever not wearing it, so it might as well be part of the sculpt.
TC.org: He looks quite bulky with what appears a slightly different ab crunch. He also sports the new elbows and knees, which areis quite pleasing to the eye. What is your opinion on how this character has translated into toy form? Did they capture the cartoon look accurately?
TB: I think they nailed him pretty well. Like I said earlier, he feels different, and some of these points are the reason why. He’s got some bulk and heft to him, he’s pinless, and that ab crunch is a great change-up. It’s very tight and seamless, but it all works really well. He’s translated pretty decently from toon to toy, I’d say, for the most part.
TC.org: We’ve got the art from the ReAction figures on the back of the box again. What do you do with packaging? It feels kinda sad to have to throw these away, right?
TB: I keep it. I worry that I’ll have to part with it eventually, because we all know these boxes are huge, but I really like the Ultimates packaging. But after four waves of Turtles, three-ish waves of ‘Cats and various other Ultimates, it all starts to add up. But it does look great, no doubt.
TC.org: Is he your favorite figure from the wave? And where does he rank in terms of all of the figures released so far?
TB: I’m undecided on favorites so far. There’s a lot to like in this wave, but Monkian is a clear contender for now. At first thought, I’d want to say Snowman, but after putting Monkian through his paces I was much more satisfied with him than I expected. I expected to like him, for sure, but he’s set the tone for the rest of the figures for me.
Jared “Toy Bro” Elswick is a longtime toy collector and hobbyist. In 2017 he turned his passion for action figures into a YouTube channel in order to have an outlet for expressing his views on the properties he collects. It has since become a huge part of his daily routine to review, discuss and promote action figures on YouTube and across social media.
