{"id":21360,"date":"2012-10-08T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T05:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21360"},"modified":"2012-10-08T00:22:25","modified_gmt":"2012-10-08T05:22:25","slug":"motu-classics-com-mekaneck-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21360","title":{"rendered":"MOTU Classics.Com:
Mekaneck Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> It\u2019s been a few weeks since I\u2019ve reviewed a MOTU Classics. All told, Sir Laser Lot should be the next up for review, but I\u2019m not much in the mood for laser knights as I write this. I can’t escape the primary colors of red & blue though, as I’ll be taking a look at Mekaneck instead. <\/p>\n

Mekaneck was one of the few announcements that surprised me this year. I knew that Stinkor\u2019s armor foretold of his arrival, but I just knew we\u2019d see Ram Man early in 2013. And with Ram Man seeming imminent, Mekaneck seemed like the next best guy for Mattel to hold off on. All the shouting and whining that elevated Ram Man\u2019s demand well beyond his status would easily transfer to our neck-extending friend here. But Mattel didn\u2019t go that route. It still strikes me as odd.<\/p>\n

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On the one hand, Mekaneck\u2019s simplicity appeals to me. He\u2019s basically a straight vintage update. There\u2019s not a hint of MO2K anywhere on him. The only change to him was the decision to give him matching bracers instead of the unique He-Man brace on his left arm (you can see Count Marzo sporting it on page 2). I have no opinion on that particular change, but I do find myself wishing Mekaneck had a more “tech” feel to him. <\/p>\n

Personally, I blame Snake Man-At-Arms for this. That was a figure I didn\u2019t even know I wanted and yet it gave me an essentially perfect Man-At-Arms figure. It will never happen, but I am not opposed to a Snake Mekaneck if only to get a tech-y body that will let me assemble a new, cooler Mekaneck. This figure is okay, that figure might be cooler<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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In his \u201cneck retracted\u201d configuration, Mekaneck is about as basic as a figure gets. The standard body with armor swiped from Stinkor. The only new piece is the head which has caused some consternation. As is, the goggles on the helmet don\u2019t line up with his eyes. I could see it being distracting, but I look at Mek like I do Tri-Klops; his eyes are gone, cybernetically replaced by whatever\u2019s in the helmet. <\/p>\n

The armor Stinkor borrowed in the vintage line is given back to Mek here, and it gets the job done. I was a little disappointed that the silver plug at the top was glued in (it was swappable on Stinkor for a bit of MO2Kness). This is one of those things that some folks see as an unfair complaint, but I would\u2019ve had more fun with the figure if I could\u2019ve swapped in Stinkor\u2019s red plug or even the small tank. It\u2019s completely unnecessary, I know, but then so was the glue Mattel paid for to ensure I couldn\u2019t do it too. <\/p>\n

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I also think the back of the armor had something to offer too. I know Mek has nothing that needs to be back there, but why not take advantage of the socket and make a piece that would hold the club? Or, to harp on the lack of details, why not a piece similar to the back of the MO2K figure that would add a little tech to better explain his neck? I know I keep going back to that, but the basic figure just screams to me for something, something<\/em> extra to have been done with him. <\/p>\n

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Now, I know this is where you tell me something was done \u2013 the neck extensions. I do agree the two neck extensions (5\u201d & 2\u201d) are awesome. I love the design and I love that they can be stacked (though Mattel could\u2019ve saved some deco $ and not pained the collar blue). They really do add to the figure, particularly because the extensions still work with the ball-joint on the neck. In a giant display with all the big ticket items, the combined extensions ensure Mekaneck can be a stand out on the shelf. The sculpted detail on them is probably my favorite part of the figure \u2013 and probably why I wish it was translated to anywhere else on the sculpt. Continue to Page 2<\/a><\/p>\n

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Since we\u2019ve got the basic body on our hands, the basic articulation is all here. The only notable difference being that the aforementioned extensions also add articulation. Again, I love the great range of motion at the base, but it\u2019s unfortunate that there is only swivel capability at the top. All the joints on Mek where nice and tight, including the enclosed ankle joints. <\/p>\n

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The paint on Mekaneck was also sharp. Mek does still have black plastic underneath, but he\u2019s not as annoying as Vykron or Spikor. Mattel looks at this, incorrectly I might add, as a \u201cpaint drying\u201d issue. That if the paint is given enough time to dry, then painting up an entire figure is dandy. I will admit that it does work better in this case. My Mekaneck didn\u2019t have any paint clogging up or flaking at the visible joints this time around. Things were a bit of a mess underneath the loin cloth though, so I\u2019m still against this cost saving measure. Recently, Toy Guru glibly responded to a recent question by saying a collector would sooner or later \u201ccut a figure\u201d to find out if there was black plastic underneath. Cutting it would be unnecessary, as the paint will eventually chip or flake on its own \u2013 which is why it\u2019s a bad practice. <\/p>\n

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There is one other paint issue with Mekaneck as well. The goggles. On the vintage figure, they were reflective. In MO2K, they were green. On the Classics version, they\u2019re unpainted. I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019d prefer green or vac metal, but I would prefer either to what we got. I might paint them green, but Spy Monkey had a great idea \u2013 reflective vinyl stickers, cut to fit the goggles would recreate the old vac metal effect. I want to try that. <\/p>\n

In addition to the neck extensions, Mek also includes his trusty mace. It\u2019s a basically a big copy of the original, but the two-tone paint applications make this piece really stand out. The mace was made with softer plastic, so it will droop over time. Be ready to rotate it around every few weeks if you decide to pose him holding it. <\/p>\n

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Overall, Mekaneck is fine. I know this probably reads like a death by a thousand cuts review. My complaints range from out there (wanting more tech details, expensive vac metal on the goggles) to normal (better articulation at the top of the neck, no black paint underneath). If you\u2019re in the line for vintage updates with no flare, this is your figure. Even I can\u2019t escape his brightly-colored simple charm. The neck extensions are so fantastic (and thankfully free of his waist swivel) that I find myself wishing for more in a weapons pak or annoyed that I didn\u2019t buy extra figures! Yes, there is a lot to love here, but I still find myself wanting more. Straight vintage updates just don\u2019t appeal to me. <\/p>\n

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For more MOTU reviews, check out our
MOTU Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been a few weeks since I\u2019ve reviewed a MOTU Classics. All told, Sir Laser Lot should be the next up for review, but I\u2019m not much in the mood for laser knights as I write this. I can’t escape the primary colors of red & blue though, as I’ll be taking a look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[7,34,10],"tags":[78,20,1577,16,2558],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-5yw","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18827,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18827","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":0},"title":"Mattycollector Announces October MOTU Classics via E-Mail","date":"May 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Mattycollector announced the upcoming October figure via a \u201csneak peek\u201d e-mail for Club Eternia members. I\u2019d outright tell you who it is, but I thought I\u2019d preserve the \u201cclick to see\u201d aspect of the e-mail. Not that I got the e-mail myself... I mean, why would I? I\u2019m just a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19405,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19405","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":1},"title":"Ask Mattel July 2nd Link Roundup (Updated!)","date":"July 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask Matty - July 2nd Edition MOTUClassics.Com Asks: After the Dragon Blaster Skeletor reveal, a lot of talk focused on the dragon, but we'd like to ask about the sword. Long-time collectors have multiple purple swords at this point. We understand the vintage line repeated accessories, but we're not sure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19001,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19001","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":2},"title":"Mattycollector Announces Dragon Blaster Skeletor","date":"June 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Mattycollector announced another upcoming MOTU Classic via a \u201csneak peek\u201d e-mail to Club Eternia members. I was again left off the mailing list, but it didn\u2019t take long for news of Dragon Blaster Skeletor to make his way to me. I gotta tell you though, I'm not in love with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23010,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23010","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":3},"title":"MOTUClassics.Com Club Eternia Ram Man Review","date":"March 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"He\u2019s finally here! After years of waiting, gnashing of teeth, and seemingly endless internet complaints, Ram Man has finally arrived! Once it was made clear that Ram Man would be held off (as a 100% tool), his importance swelled far past what it should rightfully be. Does the figure live\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9544,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9544","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":4},"title":"Mattel reveals Buzz-Off’s Bio + Notes on Upcoming Figures","date":"September 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"At SDCC, Mattel revealed all the MOTU Classics bios through November, so we haven't had many updates coming through Facebook lately. But, time marches on and Mattel had a few updates for us over the weekend - Buzz-Off's bio and an updates on Grizzlor, the Palace Guards, and Battle Armor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Matty on Facebook"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19415,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19415","url_meta":{"origin":21360,"position":5},"title":"Vault Review: MOTU Classics Stinkor","date":"July 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re playing the MOTU catch-up game this week in order to get through the box full of figures that Matty shipped us for June.\u00a0 So before we dig into those goodies, I need to get the last May figure out of the way: Stinkor! I never had Stinkor as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/stin9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21360"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21360"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21373,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21360\/revisions\/21373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}