{"id":16397,"date":"2012-01-25T02:44:44","date_gmt":"2012-01-25T08:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16397"},"modified":"2012-01-25T02:49:30","modified_gmt":"2012-01-25T08:49:30","slug":"motu-classics-com-wind-raider-review-26-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16397","title":{"rendered":"MOTU Classics.Com:
Wind Raider Review (26 Pics!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>After three long years, Masters of the Universe Classics finally has its very first vehicle. The Wind Raider is a slick toy and looks fantastic on the shelf (if you can fit it in there). The only downside might be that it could end up being the line’s only vehicle. <\/p>\n

Since I primarily collect 6\u201d figures, I don\u2019t end up reviewing too many vehicles. While I love vehicles (& playsets) in toy lines, I don\u2019t really mind. They can be pricey, they take up a lot of space, and the neighbors tend to look at me funny when every Christmas when I take my fleet of Arctic Joe vehicles out into the snow (kids would sure come in handy, I\u2019ll have to talk to the wife about that\u2026). <\/p>\n

Despite those reservations, I still buy a vehicle when it catches my fancy, mostly GI Joe Airplanes and Tanks (I still need to get around to reviewing that Crimson HISS), and I was happy to pick up the MOTU Classics Wind Raider. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

To be completely upfront, I never had the original Wind Raider. I was but a wee tot when the He-Man line started and I didn\u2019t find my way to MOTU until closer to halfway through the life of the line (explains Rio Blast & Snout Spout being among my favorites, doesn\u2019t it?) The Wind Raider toy, being released relatively early on meant that it was foreign to me. I knew the vehicle from the show of course, but I have no real special attachment to it over say the Road Ripper or Roton. <\/p>\n

But not having the original (or ever seeing one in person, come to think of it) doesn\u2019t really dampen my excitement over this one. This is one of those times where I\u2019d be hard-pressed to find something the folks behind the scenes at Mattel & Four Horsemen Design overlooked. The whole package is just that good and, not to get ahead of myself, this is a damn fine toy. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

That early declaration of awesomeness even covers the box. It\u2019s our first non-window box, but that\u2019s more than okay with me because of fantastic artwork in its place. The art was done by Rudy Obrero<\/a>, the very same artist who painted the original<\/A> years ago (are those Wind Raiders with evil pilots I spy back there? Hmm?). <\/p>\n

The new art features the Wind Raider in battle (fleeing from a battle?) against a handful of Rotons. It\u2019s a pretty spiffy way to introduce the vehicles to the line and one that I\u2019d like to see maintained should be there another one. The back of the package is similarly done well with a renaissance-esque blueprint of the Wind Raider detailing its many features (though there are some lame names back there). I don\u2019t normally keep the boxes from this line, but I don\u2019t think I can throw this particular one away. That\u2019s a success for the packaging department. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

If there is any fault with the box it\u2019s only that it makes you question how much money you spent when you hold it in your hands. The Wind Raider is, to use the simple term, huge \u2013 a wingspan nearly a foot-and-a-half long with a body to match, but the packaging team at Mattel outdid themselves by cramming it all in the box. It has to be the most efficient packaging job I\u2019ve ever seen. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Once you get it out of the box and assembled (the wings & rudder need to be attached and the stand assembled) you\u2019re looking at one of the best toys of the year. I know that I\u2019m prone to gushing on toys I really like, but you\u2019re going to have to trust me on this one. If the Wind Raider had come out on schedule, you\u2019d be seeing it on the top toy lists for 2011. I mean, it wouldn\u2019t knock Scarabus out of the Number 1 spot on my personal list, but Vikor would have had some stiff competition for my favorite MOTUC item in 2011.<\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

After you have everything put together (and, if you\u2019re like me, realize that you have absolutely no room for it), you can start to take in all the little details. The design and sculpt is what really sets this thing apart. There\u2019s the right amount of paneling and rivets without the sculpt looking busy, or worse yet, \u201chyper-anime\u201d. Continue to Page 2<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The moving parts \u2013 the wings, the rudder, the firing mechanism, etc. all work great and have their \u201carticulation points\u201d blended with the sculpt. What really gets you is that the individual buttons, dials, and design patterns are sculpted. No flat display that requires a sticker here or a vehicle-long sticker that requires a nearly impossible feat to be applied straight. From the large birds on the sides of the vehicles to the tiny buttons on the console, everything is done with what I thought would be tampos. But according to a post by Dark in Poe Ghostal\u2019s Win Raider Comments section<\/a>, the look is actually achieved through decals. Who knew?<\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also some other great little design elements like the opening compartments so MAA can get a look at the inside of the turbines, the wheels \u2013 cause it\u2019s just not a proper toy vehicle if it can\u2019t roll on the ground, the rubbery grips so your figures can operate the controls, and the anchor\/missile and its retracting mechanism. One issue that folks have with various action features is that they can mar the sculpt. That\u2019s not the case here. The firing button is cleverly disguised as a large rivet while the wind-up mechanism for the \u201ccable\u201d is the, I guess you\u2019d call it a hood ornament, the yellow skull piece atop the vehicle. I\u2019m happy to have this feature, (though I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a missile or an anchor that can be used defensively if needed) but I do wish we got a little more length on the rope. That said, it does reach the ground when it\u2019s on the stand, so it certainly works as an anchor in that scenario. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

I had only two issues with my Wind Raider. The minor issue was the paint. This one was a little funny to me because I didn\u2019t really notice it until I was watermarking the photos. The overspray (or underspray in some cases) on the metallic green paint is actually a little messier than I\u2019d like. It wasn’t so bad to the naked eye, but one of the follies of being a toy reviewer is that you get to see your stuff blown up real big and little things become apparent. It\u2019s not that big a deal to me, though I can now see it every time. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

The other issue was just kinda… gross. I don’t know who the last guy was to take a ride in my Wind Raider before it showed up, but they left a mess in the seat.<\/p>\n

I’m not sure if was excess glue, soybean oil<\/a> (we get that one from Mattel’s CPI, or “Can’t Prove It”, Department), or what, but just like I’d be in my actual car I wasn’t happy to see that there. It cleaned up easy enough, but ewww. Plus, I couldn’t get a replacement anyway, just ask Poe<\/a>. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

The Wind Raider rests atop a simple, but nice display base. The base plugs into what appears to be an exhaust – one more point for the toy features not being obtrusive to the sculpt – and it plugs in securely. Once you have it on the stand, you can get some great poses for the Wind Raider thanks to a large swivel\/ball joint. It\u2019s a ton of fun and really opens up what you can do with the toy aside from having it sit there and look really pretty. I would\u2019ve liked to see the stand be a few inches taller, and the base flatter, so that figures could stand under it (shelf space is getting to be a premium three years into the line, y’know), but that\u2019s about as minor as a complaint can be. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

In all, the first MOTUC vehicle was a smashing success – at least from a design standpoint. The future of vehicles in this line is somewhat in doubt since Toy Guru\u2019s statements about its 79-hour sellout being only \u201cokay\u201d. Personally, if you sell completely (or as completely as Mattel does) out of something then it really shouldn’t matter how many hours it takes, but I don\u2019t work for a big giant company. All I know is that this vehicle is a home run and, space and money considerations aside, I want to see more vehicles from the Four Horsemen. If Mattel doesn\u2019t want in on that action because it doesn\u2019t accumulate the dough fast enough, so be it. A ride for Scarabus or some Outer Space ships would like pretty sweet on my shelves too… <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

\n [Show as slideshow]<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t