Filmation figures and the MOTUC buck

[Merso]

Hello, everyone. I'm a cherry picker: and I'm mostly interested in the figures that draw inspiration mainly from the old Filmation series. Those particular figures strike a chord of nostalgia like the others don't. However, even though they're awesome, they'll never be n exact representation of the Filmation design. I'm not talking about the extra details on the sculpt, Im talking about another thing that I've NEVER seen mentioned in these forums, video reviews or in blogs.

The MOTUC buck is too muscular.

Back in the day, Roger Sweet's vision was to create this line of toys were the characters had muscles that don't even exist on us humans: he wanted He-Man to make Schwarzenegger look like a wimp. But then came the comics and the Filmation toon, and those rendered the MOTU characters like a normal comic book superhero character.

So no MOTUC figure will ever look like his cartoon counterpart because of this. And yet I never hear anyone mention it. Anyone know why?

[manic mailman]

i think it's because the figures themselves are pretty awesome. and outside of hasbros 30th gi joe line and mattels wwe elite line, motuc is the king of the action figure mountain. so even though there are imperfections its hard to criticize something thats been so rad.

[FakeEyes22]

I'd say it's pretty much because MOTUC pulls from all sources and reinterprets the characters and designs as if they'd been part of the vintage toy line. For example, if Fang Man had a toy back then, he'd very likely have been as muscular as the other figures on the pegs.

[Shadow-Ra]

I think Randor disagrees.

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[Inhibitor]

Filmation characters were wayyy more beefy than their corresponding superhero toons at the time. They did hire bodybuilders to provide the foundation for their stock action sequences. The only major difference I see is definition. Too many lines on the body can break up the look of the character a bit.

The other issue is: the vintage figs are actually proportionately more pumped than MOTUC! They're about 5.5 inches to MOTUC's average of just over 7 but almost tied for width.

[Rodster6]

I don't think anyone really cares that's why no one has mentioned it. This isn't a filmation toyline even though it now takes characters and inspiration from filmation.

[sirsniffy]

Though I love the nods to the Filmation character designs, I always saw MOTUC as somewhere in between the original content and the Filmation content. That said, I don't think the bucks are too bulky at all, if anything they are very proportionate compared to the old vintage toys.

I will say that the Filmation characters had more rounded features, whereas the toys seem more angular...if that make sense?

I bet some Japanese company could recreate the Filmation style EXACTLY, have you seen some of the Japanese toys/Gashapon? They would be flawless!

[AximusPrime]

So no MOTUC figure will ever look like his cartoon counterpart because of this. And yet I never hear anyone mention it. Anyone know why?

Probably because the Filmation models were nothing more than simplified versions of the vintage action figures themselves due to the limitations of animation at the time, barring a few exceptions. Most of the animation models were heavily based on previous Filmation cartoons as well. He-Man looks like John Blackstar, Teela looks like Princess Aura, and so on. Had those limitations not existed, you most likely would have seen buffer characters.

[shadowfall1976]

Hello, everyone. I'm a cherry picker: and I'm mostly interested in the figures that draw inspiration mainly from the old Filmation series. Those particular figures strike a chord of nostalgia like the others don't. However, even though they're awesome, they'll never be n exact representation of the Filmation design. I'm not talking about the extra details on the sculpt, Im talking about another thing that I've NEVER seen mentioned in these forums, video reviews or in blogs.

The MOTUC buck is too muscular.

Back in the day, Roger Sweet's vision was to create this line of toys were the characters had muscles that don't even exist on us humans: he wanted He-Man to make Schwarzenegger look like a wimp. But then came the comics and the Filmation toon, and those rendered the MOTU characters like a normal comic book superhero character.

So no MOTUC figure will ever look like his cartoon counterpart because of this. And yet I never hear anyone mention it. Anyone know why?

Simple, the Filmation male models were all based on one real well built guy they used as a sit in originally, as was the female model....the toys have over pumped muscles, then and now. But in all honesty, Adam, Randor, Adora and all look just as good in the Classics line as they did in the cartoon, over pumped males or not.

[baronterror]

I would agree with most everyone here.

They do look like Filmation. Randor for instance. Beautiful. I would argue that much like everyone else says that Eternos Randor is just a toy version of the cartoon one. The detailing of musculature and proportion is more noticeable in a toy than a character animation. So even taking for granted the loss of detail to streamline the animated character, that the detail is "still implied" in as much as we understand what it is representing.

To take it another way, I like my sculpted hair, but if they produced the hair without some line details to imply separate strands, and just did a solid wavy lump, I could take either one. But we know the "hair" is there, so if there is added hair definition in a toy even though the cartoon didnt have that per sey, it isnt wrong.

I'm thinking daphne from Scooby Doo.

So anyway in the same way this line isnt 200x so it wont have the same design choices, neither is it a cartoon, nor cartoon accurate toyline, so it wont limit detail.

It's just in the case of cartoon I dont think anyone wants to lose detail, and those that want that look, who I have heard pop up now and then, understood from the begining that it wasnt a cartoon line, especially since we ddint have access to the toon originally anyway, whereas we thought we may get more 200x, which is why they are more vocal in their unhappyness.

[Uki]

I have to agree with the majority here. The Classics look is pretty perfect in my eyes. I'm quite pleased with how Filmation designs are being translated to the toys. Bring on Shokoti, Lizard Man, Razz & Broom, Sea Hawk...

[orbles]

I would agree with most everyone here.

They do look like Filmation. Randor for instance. Beautiful. I would argue that much like everyone else says that Eternos Randor is just a toy version of the cartoon one. The detailing of musculature and proportion is more noticeable in a toy than a character animation. So even taking for granted the loss of detail to streamline the animated character, that the detail is "still implied" in as much as we understand what it is representing.

To take it another way, I like my sculpted hair, but if they produced the hair without some line details to imply separate strands, and just did a solid wavy lump, I could take either one. But we know the "hair" is there, so if there is added hair definition in a toy even though the cartoon didnt have that per sey, it isnt wrong.

I'm thinking daphne from Scooby Doo.

So anyway in the same way this line isnt 200x so it wont have the same design choices, neither is it a cartoon, nor cartoon accurate toyline, so it wont limit detail.

It's just in the case of cartoon I dont think anyone wants to lose detail, and those that want that look, who I have heard pop up now and then, understood from the begining that it wasnt a cartoon line, especially since we ddint have access to the toon originally anyway, whereas we thought we may get more 200x, which is why they are more vocal in their unhappyness.

Good point, I dont want these figures to look like Simpsons figures, but I do love how the Simpsons figures look.

[TrimmTrabb]

The driving aesthetic is not that of Filmation, but rather that of the vintage toys.
Maybe some day there will be a Filmation cartoon-inspired toy line.

[MasterCollector]

This isn't a filmation toyline even though it now takes characters and inspiration from filmation.

And the truth shall set you free!!!

I find it hilarious that in the early days of Classics, there were Orgers that were against any MYP characters(Forgetting of course that this line started with the MYP King Grayskull!) being included into the line. They'd often use the "This is MOTU Classics, not MYP Classics" but now this same logic doesn't seem apply to their Filmation Classic wishes.

[shadowfall1976]

And the truth shall set you free!!!

I find it hilarious that in the early days of Classics, there were Orgers that were against any MYP characters(Forgetting of course that this line started with the MYP King Grayskull!) being included into the line. They'd often use the "This is MOTU Classics, not MYP Classics" but now this same logic doesn't seem apply to their Filmation Classic wishes.

I think Filmation and Vintage are much more recognizable and wanted by a wider fan base, than 200X. Only to be followed by the Mini Comics in recognition, 200X and NA fall by the wayside when compare to the main 3 sources of figures. I still don't like 200X myself, but I don't knock anyone for wanting them, but it seems the same can't be said for those biased against, they don't want Filmation at all, no matter how demanded the figure may be. I just find that funny, but in the same breath bash anyone who doesn't like their character preference. But the only truth is, Filmation characters and designs have been and will continue to come in Classics, no matter how many voice disdain, the main thing I love about Classics is, it's no ones personal line, and even the haters have to accept the revealed figures as Classics, Filmation and all. Hate on them as you wish, that won't change the fact they exist in the line, and will continue to come.

[phantom1592]

And the truth shall set you free!!!

I find it hilarious that in the early days of Classics, there were Orgers that were against any MYP characters(Forgetting of course that this line started with the MYP King Grayskull!) being included into the line. They'd often use the "This is MOTU Classics, not MYP Classics" but now this same logic doesn't seem apply to their Filmation Classic wishes.

Honestly, that's because MYP was just a blip in the history of MOTU. Regardless of quality/plots/story whatever merits that 200x fans want to bring up... it was an anomoly.

200x had 39 half-hour episodes. Filmation had 130. NOT including the specials and She-ra's 93 episodes set in the same continuity...

To me it generally felt like marvels 'Age of Apocolypse' Time line in comics. It was cool... it was popular... but in the grand history of the marvel universe, it isn't the first thing people think of.

(Honeslty, I see the 'new 52' with DC going the same way... for all their insistance that THIS is the new Superman costume... I see a LOT of decoration/ornaments/etc. floating around with the 'CLASSIC' costumes for superman/batman/etc... If THAT is what they want to be the new standard... they sure aren't pushing it.

Which is what I think of the 'hyper-anime' armored MOTU. At the time it was ok, because it was the only MOTU we had... but if they wanted to reboot and bring the 'looks' of the line back to what "I" loved about the original vintage/mini/filmation apearances... GO FOR IT!!!