Hurricane Hordak Video Review by Pixel Dan

[Staff Of Ka]

Dan,

I appreciate your reviews and really appreciate your attention to details. Your reviews are very helpful and spot on. With this one, I sensed some hesitancy. Don't be afriad to tell it like it is. It looks like Mattel made a lot of mistakes with this figure. Which is a shame, too, because he looks fantastic.

Having said that, seriously man keep up the great work! It's a great service your provide for us MOTUC collectors.

-Brent

Bravo! Couldnt agree more!

[CptSpandex]

As I said in the other thread. He looks OK. As expected, the dial looks awful and the Vac Metal flaking off is not good news either. On the other hand it made me want to dust off the good old NES and play Legend of Zelda...

I'm not singling you out, per say, just using your quote about the dial because it was the last one I read. I, personally, don't see why everyone is so up in arms over the dial. I think it's a decent homage to the original figure. It doesn't serve any purpose other than that, and certainly not a function purpose, but, I get that. But still is it really that big of a deal? It's on the back of the figure.

On another note: Zelda memories. Man, I loved that game as a kid almost as much for the gold cartridge as the actual game itself. Sometimes I'll be walking through a mall and see a vintage game shop with old NES games in it and that game STILL catches my eye.

[Berserker79]

Why has a toy company, which produces Toys for decades such issues to get some action figures right?

[julez6]

This is one of the best reviews yet! This close ups really help out. I can't wait to get my HH. Keep up the great work you do. You are the Master of Video!
Hey maybe you can help Val with the gooble

[Dark Sorceress]

just got mine all the black paint is cracked off the neck i hate Vac

[Dr Kain]

Wow, I am looking forward to this figure even less than I already was. I mean, the gold does not look right on him since he does not have any gold anywhere else on his body, but after seeing that, I do not even think I want to keep my extra one. This could be the first figure I get rid of without opening it.

[bcrduke]

Good for you, Dan, for going to bat on the quality here with this figure. You were able to criticize without sounding nasty. Good work!!

I'm a bit disappointed that the attachments don't spin quickly

He still looks wonderful though.

[Darkspecter]

Good review, Dan. If you keep bending Hordak's armour like that, it will 100% break. Mattel makes Barbie purses, suitcases, and other accessories with that bent plastic "joint" and they do break upon repeated use.

About the soft plastic and the way they made the armour, I think I understand it after watching PixelDan's demonstration.

The hard plastic armour like the 80's figures (and the MOTUC Battle Armour figures) are a chore to take off the figure. The 80's ones are notorious for busted clips, as well.

I think the softer armour (but still harder than REGULAR armour) is Mattel's attempt to keep the vac metal durable, while allowing us to remove the armour with ease.

With the clips, that would be two separate pieces of armour scratching up against each other every time you take it off, which would make it much more susceptible to flaking. Once a chunk chips off because the clip scratched it, you would pretty much be doomed. I think that's why they went with the "bendy elbow" joints on the shoulders of the armour.

Vac metal on a very articulated figure, with removable armour is a very tricky thing. All the figures we had as kids that had it, had 5 points of articulation...so...it makes a lot of sense that flaking would be less. They didn't have ab-crunch, waist-twist or ball jointed shoulders to worry about.

Besides the approach they took here, the only other choice would be the rock hard Battle Armour type armour, but that would be armour to never remove (it takes a LOT of effort for me to get the damned Battle Armour off! ).

[Colton]

IMO one of your best reviews to date.
Good handling of the controversial issues from the past days.
I support the idea of changing the silver parts into
shiny black ... great decision, like you said, the golden armour just makes him

[JimPansen]

Great Review Dan but the bending really floored me
In my opinion is that a figure where the removeable armor doesn´t make sense. But he looks kick ass!

[tmc1984]

awesome as ever dan! ...

can't wait to get my HH! ...

[DO4M]

I'm not singling you out, per say, just using your quote about the dial because it was the last one I read. I, personally, don't see why everyone is so up in arms over the dial. I think it's a decent homage to the original figure. It doesn't serve any purpose other than that, and certainly not a function purpose, but, I get that. But still is it really that big of a deal? It's on the back of the figure.

On another note: Zelda memories. Man, I loved that game as a kid almost as much for the gold cartridge as the actual game itself. Sometimes I'll be walking through a mall and see a vintage game shop with old NES games in it and that game STILL catches my eye.

No problem dude! I'll explain why I don't like the dial. (My reasons may not be the same as everybody else's)

1) We were told that levers, Buttons, switches, etc would NOT be sculpted on MOTUC because they would ruin the aesthetic or something. Yet here we are with the third figure with a dial. (Now I'm worried about Mantenna getting a LEver, Tung Lashor getting a dial, Terror Claws Skeletor getting the Thumbpiece on his back)
I'll admit that it was a nice nod for Optikk, and with the whole mechanical pieces on his back, the dial blends in.
SyKlone... It doesn't work as well. While the dial is small and on his belt it pokes out too much.
Now HH has NOWHERE to hide the big red dial, nothing that makes it blend in with the design. It's a Big Red Dial right there!

2)If they worked so hard to recreate the vintage look, they're doing it wrong! Check out the Comparison time part of the video, especially when vintage and MOTUC are with their backs to the camera. Notice how the vintage dial does NOT POKE out the armor. Saw a vintage SyKlone and his dial also does NOT poke out as the MOTUC one...

3)It's a vestige of an action feature that he does NOT have anymore.If the line has this emphasis on NO Action features (Aside the ones that are on a specific POA like Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Man-E-Faces) Roboto being the sole exception, then why are they adding things that remind the customers of what he CAN'T DO anymore!? That's like adding a manual crank (for decoration) to a car with Power Windows.

4)That's not what I'd call a decent homage... that's straight up copying the vintage dial. Making something like a Spine of Spikes for the armor (that vaguely resembles the dial) is what I'd call a decent homage...

[Falconhood]

i don't plan to remove mine's armor, but i'm surprised they didn't just make it 2 pieces which is normal so they could use HARD plastic only for the vac metal..
I AM STOKED about the idea of WEAPON PACK REPAINT!!! that would ROCK!!!
I have Trap-Jaw so mine will DEFINITELY be sharing weapons! I can't wait until my $27 figure gets to me(with leech)!!!
I hope Mattel uses only hard plastic with the Vac-Metal they will do on Jitsu

[Ealo]

great review. the figure is awesome... getting a 2nd one to open. i really hope that the vac metal isn't toxic.

[Falconhood]

oh, yeah, and the red dial does not bother me at all. I always pretended on the original that it was just a decorative plate, like the red bat. like a power pack where you can replace the power supply for the arm, or etc.

[Xetheus]

I like the dial, nice touch. I cannot undestand why there is so much hate about it when it is included in the armor! Think of it as being part of the armor. I really hope the FH continue this where appropriate.

I do agree that Tung Lashor should NOT have it!!!!

[Skeletortilla]

Damn...usually a Pixel Dan Review Video thread would be near it's third page by now. Are fans not feeling Hurricane Hordak? Variant? Vac-Metal? Dial?

Nah...I already know I'm going to love HH. I love them all...every time I get a new figure they become my favorite til the next one.

[fball13z]

Good for you, Dan, for going to bat on the quality here with this figure. You were able to criticize without sounding nasty. Good work!!

I'm a bit disappointed that the attachments don't spin quickly

He still looks wonderful though.

I think they put the loose joint in the ankle instead of the cannon

[Stefan81]

I like the dial. But don`t put it on Tung Lashor or Mantenna!

[kwgriffi]

Great review Dan! And I can see it on my iPad! Now you need to go back and reformat your older reviews.

Oh, and I like the dial.

[Epicasino]

Another poorly made figure by Mattel. I already have the regular Hordak, and there are no problems with it, so I won't bother with this new one.

[wolfsfang]

great review Dan. I found it highly amusing when you were talking about how easily the armor could snap if you bent it too often while you continued to bend it back and forth, had me thinking it was going to snap any second

[Falconhood]

Thanx PD!
I agree, the wheel looks fine on the armor, but not on skin, like on Tung Lasher and etc...it'd be like a Star Trek Borg implant to explain, which doesn't look MOTU.

[GrtEternal]

Another great review, Dan. As always!

Been looking forward on this one. Mine's arriving on Tuesday with Leech. Definitely WILL NOT do that on my HH's armor!

Bring in more of The Horde, please!

[Skeletortilla]

great review Dan. I found it highly amusing when you were talking about how easily the armor could snap if you bent it too often while you continued to bend it back and forth, had me thinking it was going to snap any second

That's just it though...WHO is going to actually fold the armor in half like that?

Answer: NOBODY.

If you watch the review, when Dan undoes the tabs on either side, the armor pretty much just slips off. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to fold it over in half, especially REPEATEDLY. When he was doing that, and mentioned the cracking sound, I was thinking to myself, "DUH!" Of COURSE the vac metal is going to crack and flake off if you do that. It would if you bent ANY vac metal toy.
Sometimes Dan's reviewing doesn't make sense to me in that regard...there is a difference between wear and tear caused by NORMAL use and that caused by ABUSE. In Dan's video, he is clearly abusing the armor. I'm betting there won't be any problems with the armor under normal use.
Also, the "cracks" in the black paint on the neck aren't cracks. They are caused by the shiny black paint sticking to the inside of the collar in some places, and can very easily be touched up.