So naturally, I missed out on ol' B'Cat.
Almost an entire year and a few MOTC figures later (including Adam, King Grayskull, He-Ro, and He-Man himself), I knew I had to have the world's most famous green cat. So naturally, I jumped at the chance when Matty Collector put him on their Cyber Monday Sale for the 29th of November last year!
But in all honesty, I thought ol' B'Cat would've flown off the virtual shelf once the sale opened, so I wasn't holding out much hope that I'd be able to get him at all. Add to that the numerous problems Matty reportedly have on sales days and I pretty much was prepared to not have Battle Cat at all.
To my surprise, I managed to get to the order page,put in my order, and get the confirmation email relatively easily. There wasn't the dreaded "Red Wall of Reload."
Also, I'd thought Battle Cat would make an excellent Christmas present for the Rangerlord, and since I'd always wanted to get the DC Universe Classics Color of Fear 2-pack set, I was thrilled at having completed my order. Huzzah!
Five weeks later and out of the country for my honeymoon, the package still hadn't arrived. But on the Monday of week six, I get a text from my in-laws that it had arrived. According to the mailing labels on the box, it had been to Germany and France before arriving in Singapore? What did that mean? I didn't care! I still don't! Battle Cat was here! Double Huzzah! Of course I had to wait till the following week when I returned home before cracking him open, but it was well worth the wait. Let's have a look-see, shall we? :)
Like: That Battle Cat is all texture all over. He feels grrrrrreat!
Like: His face. It looks like his entire head, except the jaw, is painted (judging from the different shade of green it is from the body.) The paint is simply superb, especially the red Eye(s) of the Tiger. (Yes, I couldn't resist.) Those are yellow with red triangular pupils--real fierce. His nose, lips and whisker holes(?) are a darker green. The yellow stripes on his head are also really cool and give him a terribly menacing look.
Like: His articulation. With, 26 points of articulation, how could you not?
Like: His armor. It's the correct shade of dark red. It's also got great shading, fits the curve of his body perfectly. The seat also has some deliberate He-Man butt and thigh sweat weathering. How could you resist detail like that?
Dislike: That his armor obscures the excellent face and actually makes Battle Cat look less ferocious. Also, and this is nitpicky, the saddle armor restricts his torso articulation somewhat. But with He-Man set to be riding him most of the time, the use of the torso won't come into play that much anyway.
Like: That Battle Cat solves all of He-Man's loose ankle problems! (By being the mount that he is, of course, ;])
Dislike: That the left leather stirrup has a smaller opening than the right one. It's only big enough to fit He-Man's big toe, while the right leather strap allows almost all of his front right foot in it. Looking at the way the left strap is twisted, this seems part of the design. But I can't imagine Mattel meaning this to be deliberate. Let's hope it's a one-off on my figure.
Nifty armor button |
Viola! Unclasped |
Like: That all alone, Battle Cat looks great. But with He-Man, our resident Fighting Tiger is just magical. In fact, while I was snapping shots of this big boy I was kinda underwhelmed with the poses I could come up with. But once I plonked on his rider, the photos started to look simply brilliant. He-Man was always kick-ass, but I always felt that the Adam and Cringer combo was just invincible. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself! ;P
RATINGS
He's got impressive paint for the smaller details as well. Sharp eyes, a darker green nose, neatly painted teeth, tongue, and gums, claws, paw pads, and yellow stripes. Certain areas of his armor are also painted a slightly lighter shiny red, like the various spikes, studs, and the armor's eyes. But my favourite part by far on his battle gear is the weathered, sweat-stained saddle. :P
It might be easier to point out what isn't articulated on Battle Cat than what is. His hinged neck and swivel/hinge tail also deserve special mention because of their impressive range and also because Mattel really didn't have to give the figure these points.
The only things I wish were slightly better are the ball-jointed head, which is almost just a swivel, the very limited hinge in his "shoulders," and the chest pivot being limited slightly by the armor.
Fun: 10/10 - Having Battle Cat is like having He-Man's ultimate accessory. But he's more than that. He's He-Man's companion, his one true partner in battle, and the one thing that makes them an instant win. And while He-Man will most likely be the first guy you put on him, the truth is that he can carry any figure! (Yes, I'm just brilliant, aren't I?) I believe he'll also look good with anyone else riding, especially the likes of King Grayskull, He-Ro, Battle Armor He-Man, and also Man-At Arms.
I also think Battle Cat would look superb with He-Man on him and Teela riding pillion, but alas, I haven't got a Teela! In fact, I don't have any of He-Man's MOTU companions! Poor guy, I'm gonna have to remedy that soon. Btu for now he's just gonna have to play with Battle Cat. ;)
Value: 9.5/10 - I paid S$54 for him after shipping. (That comes to about $US41.50) That's a good S$26 (US$20) less than the cheapest I can find him for here. It's also the first time I'd ordered off Mattycollector and I have to say that the 6 week shipping wait aside, it went smoothly. 'Cat is worth every single penny, from the sculpt to the paint to the articulation to the nostalgic value. Perhaps the only thing that could possibly make him even better value is an interchangeable Cringer head pack-in. Yeah, I know. He doesn't really even need that. But I can dream, can't I? Heh. :)
For those of you who got them, I say great! For those He-Man fans who haven't, I say that you absolutely should. If you want to but missed out, watch out for the re-release--Battle Cat is too good for Mattel not to want to maximize his potential!
Thanks again for the 'Cat, bro! It's now sitting in its plastic and cardboard cage, waiting to be unleashed once I sort out my display space problems...
ReplyDeleteBut dayum! Your photos make me wanna bust him out right away and start posing He-Man on him. On that note, why doncha take a few pics with Grayskull et al. and see how it looks? I'm itching to get Vikor to put atop Battle Cat for that ultra barbarian vibe!
Cheers
The Rangerlord
You're more than welcome, bro!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was thinking of getting the others up on the saddle of the 'Cat but figured I'd save them for editions of action figure comics. Also, I had a lot of great pics of He-Man and BC that I thought I'd give them this space--too much He photos atop Battle Cat might cause a testosterone overload. ;P
Battlecat IS awesome, isn't he? Great review. Just thought I would mention that Mattel says that the "stirrups" are actually weapons holders.
ReplyDeleteOh really? I read some reviews that said they were but I didn't know Mattel had actually said that. I thought they might be as well, but the weapons I put in there hung so low I dismissed it almost immediately. Lol. It would explain the difference in size then. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Battle Cat IS awesome. There's no eter way to put it. :D
sweet review and even sweeter pics! im enviuos! ^_^ keep up the great posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks, bro! He was worth the 6 week wait! ;)
ReplyDeleteHow to bus this Battlecat.. Please let me know !!
ReplyDeleteBus him? Or do you mean "buy" him or something else? :)
Delete