Whiplash classic figure review thread

[Spacedust]

Woo-hoo, it's Friday. Not only does that mean it's almost the weekend, but also, it's also time for this weeks classic review thread!

I am really pleased with how these threads are going, and the posts they are getting. Last week's thread (Stratos - http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...d.php?t=143520) was really good.

Anyway, as requested by The Villain, this week's figure in the spotlight is Whiplash.

I never could really decide how much I liked Whiplash.
I never got around to saving up for the figure as a kid. It wasn't a bad figure as such, but for some reason it never really stood out to me, there seemed better figures to grab my attention when buying.

Part of the reason I don't think I particularly liked Whiplash, was that his face looked a bit too goofy. Almost like he was smiling. Which wasn't too good for an Evil Warrior.

Many have speculated that Lizard Man, who appeared in the early Filmation episodes "She-Demon of Phantos" and "Song Of Celice", may have been a very early incarnation of Whiplash, especially given that Filmation liked to include possible upcoming figures (as with Chopper / Jitsu in "The Dragon Invasion"). Indeed, very early publicity is said to have billed Whiplash as a Heroic Warrior, and even some Euro cards tagged him as such (though whether this was a mistake or not is unknown).

Whiplash was fair in the Filmation cartoon, he was probably one of Skeletor's better later warriors; Although I was never too keen as how, in many of his appearances, he seemed to be replacing Beast Man as Skeletor's 'dim witted side-kick'.

As I say, I never had a Whiplash figure in my original collection as a child (now I have numerous examples of the figure), so maybe that's why I never warmed to the character as much as the figures that I had.

I remember one warm Summer day, when I was about 6, I came out of school one afternoon, and on the walk home my Mum said "I've got a surprise for you at home", and for some reason, I got it into my head that she had bought me a Whiplash figure. I was rather disappointed when we got in and it turned out to be a cat! (Well, I like cats... but I still never got a Whiplash figure. hehe)

Nowadays, I have quite a few Whiplash figures. I have examples with both soft and hard heads, as well as one with a much lighter, pinky-orange belt (I don't know if this is an actual variation, or just a factory fluke).

From a figure that I was always so-so about, I *really liked* the Four Horsemen 200x update of Whiplash. They gave him a lot more character. I really liked how, like Beast Man, he was really bulky, and very imposing, looking really like he meant business. Whiplash is one of my favourite 200x updates.

So there's just my rambles on Whiplash.
I'd like to hear your thoughts, your memories, how you played with it... anything you like.

[2-bad]

WhipLash was defintley a favourite of mine from the classic series. I actually liked the head, & he was the figure closest to the Filmation toon.

I used to play with him more than I did with Skeletor or He-man mainly because of the rubber tail.

Overall I feel he was a lot more untique than the other characters. Just my opinion.

[Spacedust]

I forgot to give my rating out of 10.
It's a tough one... I think I'll give him an average 7 out of 10.

[braxsis364]

Whip lash was another faveret of mine, I did'int see him so much as a bad guy. I used to inmagin him as a nomadic warior who would wader the wastelands. and dangerus jungles eating whatever dargerus cretures got in his way. meet the diferrent tribes of eternia, mind his own bizzness was undesided to side with good or evil, but whatever side got him had a great warior. he was one of those figures you could just play with him alone by himself. for hours before he bumped into another eternian.Whiplash 9 and a half

[Spacedust]

Whip lash was another faveret of mine, I did'int see him so much as a bad guy. I used to inmagin him as a nomadic warior who would wader the wastelands. and dangerus jungles eating whatever dargerus cretures got in his way. meet the diferrent tribes of eternia, mind his own bizzness was undesided to side with good or evil, but whatever side got him had a great warior. he was one of those figures you could just play with him alone by himself. for hours before he bumped into another eternian.Whiplash 9 and a half

Some nice personal character ideas there, braxsis. I wish Whippy had been given this kind of treatment in the comic books, or in the 200x cartoon, even the original Filmation series.

[He-Fan]

Chris here...

Whiplash has always been one of my favourite classic figures - my Whiplash came to me second-hand when the boy who lived two doors down from me decided he'd outgrown He-Man and was more into football (I remember thinking he was mad at the time! ), and so he let me have his Whiplash, Tri-Klops (who was butt naked!), Stridor, Dragon Walker and Castle Grayskull! The Grayskull I stupidly got rid of (which to this day I still regret), but all the rest I still have (albeit that the Dragon Walker is battery damaged and thus won't run), including my one and only classic Whiplash figure!

Even though this thread isn't about the 200X version of the figure, I'd like to add that Whiplash is one of my very favourites of the re-designs - I wish he'd been slimmer, but his tail action feature is my absolute favourite!!

Take care...

[Spacedust]

Even though this thread isn't about the 200X version of the figure, I'd like to add that Whiplash is one of my very favourites of the re-designs - I wish he'd been slimmer, but his tail action feature is my absolute favourite!!

Whippy 200x version is one of my favourite 200x redesigns, although I disagree about him being slimmer - I love the way the figure is really bulky and chunky.
In fact, I think that is one of the reasons that I like the 200x version so much - it is chunky like many of the classic figures, not slimmed down as many of the 200x updates were.

(Oh, and it's not dragging it off-topic - one of the ideas about these threads is for people to compare how the 200x versions match up to the originals).

[Mike Bock]

Oh he is definitely one of the best figures from the classic line. The colors and the action was so great to play with. Clawful and Whiplash are two of my favorite evil warriors.

He reminds me of one of the creatures that appeared in the movie Clash of Titans.

You can tell I love this figure. I for one was dissapointed on the 200x version I think he is one of the few redesigns who don't look nothing like his 80s version.

[bcrduke]

I loved Whiplash as a kid - I remember that his tail started to rip off his back a bit because he was one of the figures I used the most... I loved the spear - the color of it - Whiplash's colors... he was so cool and dangerous. He and Evil Lyn were usually a team when I played.

I also liked how he was characterized in the cartoon - especially in "To Save Skeletor." He was a monster, but they made him intelligent... I liked that a lot and that was something I REALLY disliked about the MYP version... imagine how much cooler, and more dangerous he would have been, had he been brilliant...

8 out of 10

[2-bad]

Oh he is definitely one of the best figures from the classic line. The colors and the action was so great to play with. Clawful and Whiplash are two of my favorite evil warriors.

Same here!! Whiplash & Clawful were definitly the best. And both of them had those rubber like heads.

[The Horrorist]

I allways liked Whiplash quite a bit. Got his figure in the middle of my childhood collection. The bad part was that his tail was all curled up to one side because of the packaging he had been in. I always tried to straighten it by turning it the other way. And than there was a rip in the tail

Also love the 200X figure. His action feature is one of most funtional of all of them. Hope we get a bigger staction.

[Wonder Bread He-Man]

Whiplash the figure looked visicious....he didn't need any fancy armor , all he needed was his spear & a viscious attitude...I like the simplicity of that

[Spacedust]

I also liked how he was characterized in the cartoon - especially in "To Save Skeletor." He was a monster, but they made him intelligent... I liked that a lot and that was something I REALLY disliked about the MYP version... imagine how much cooler, and more dangerous he would have been, had he been brilliant...

I agree, I love how Whiplash is portrayed in "To Save Skeletor". Possibly his best appearance in the original series, in my opinion.
The Mike Young Productions 200x version didn't do Whiplash many favours, although I liked how they gave the original (i.e. early) Evil Warriors a lot more character, and brought them to the fore more. But maybe that's a discussion for another thread.

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Whiplash is one of my favourite figures. A simple design and really vivid colours which just work. I got Whiplash when he was released in 1985 and was instantly one of my favourites to play with. The rubber tail was the best thing on the figure and the bright orange spear. One thing which bothered me was was upside down tooth on his face, the one in the middle, never quite got that...

I also love the 4HM Whiplash, he looks really mean and powerful and again one of my favourites from the revamp. I really hope we get a correct size Staction of Whiplash in the future.

Rating - 8.5/10

[discosupafly]

I loved Whiplash as a kid - I remember that his tail started to rip off his back a bit because he was one of the figures I used the most... I loved the spear - the color of it - Whiplash's colors... he was so cool and dangerous.

The exact same thing happened with me. I'd spend hours just rubbing the bumps on his rubber tail and admiring how much this character looked like a dinosaur - something else I was huge on as a child. I loved to use Whiplash to beat up just about any other figure, but as Brian already stated, this figure didn't hold up too well to wear and tear. My Whiplash has a major tear across both the left and right lower tail, where it starts to meet the torso.

On the upside, in the event that your Whiplash toy should suffer from weak legs if and when the band slackens, his tail makes a wonderful support prop. It's for that reason that Whiplash is most likely to stand the tests of time in standing ability than any other classic character.
A flawed but fun character - 6/10.

[Spacedust]

I always thought the tail could have been a little better, it seemed too flimsy, and I too didn't like the way it curled around.

Regarding weapons, I think the spear somehow suited Whiplash perfectly. He always seemed sort of a primal warrior, and a spear seemed to suit him pefectly. Although I did like the 200x version's weapon... whatever it was. It seemed rather Klingon in design.

[skeletoncrew]

it would seem Whiplash is either a love him or hate him type figure...

personally, i fall into the "hate" him camp, i never had him as a kid and as an adult he seems VERY plain jane and quite boring to me...not to mention his weird/goofy grin/teeth...he just doesn't look very menacing or evil to me, just silly and that REALLY distracts from the character...i DO like his play action and i'm sure as a kid it would have been TONS of fun, but i missed out...

the 4H did a FANTASTIC job reimagining this character for the 200X version, really amped him up in my opinion...

so on an A+ to F scale i would have to give Whiplash a C-...passing, but JUST barely...

[Spacedust]

it would seem Whiplash is either a love him or hate him type figure...

personally, i fall into the "hate" him camp, i never had him as a kid and as an adult he seems VERY plain jane and quite boring to me...not to mention his weird/goofy grin/teeth...he just doesn't look very menacing or evil to me, just silly and that REALLY distracts from the character...i DO like his play action and i'm sure as a kid it would have been TONS of fun, but i missed out...

the 4H did a FANTASTIC job reimagining this character for the 200X version, really amped him up in my opinion...

Completely agree with what you have to say. Especially about his goofy grin, it never worked for me either. Maybe it's just where I didn't have a Whiplash as a kid, if I did I might have LOVED him.

[jakobinsane]

As the posts tell us all we need to know is rubber tail and we all know how cool that makes whiplash.

[coinilius]

Completely agree with what you have to say. Especially about his goofy grin, it never worked for me either. Maybe it's just where I didn't have a Whiplash as a kid, if I did I might have LOVED him.

No way, the goofy grin was cool Seriously, I think he had a much better head than, say, Clawful, who I never really understood... it didn't really seem very crab/lobster like to me, while Whiplash's head at least looked like it suited his design.