{"id":27610,"date":"2014-04-14T01:25:13","date_gmt":"2014-04-14T06:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27610"},"modified":"2014-04-14T01:25:13","modified_gmt":"2014-04-14T06:25:13","slug":"motuclassics-com-new-adventures-hydron-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27610","title":{"rendered":"MOTUClassics.Com New
Adventures Hydron Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>New Adventures should get more love than it does. Now don\u2019t expect me to empirically back up this statement, but I still think it\u2019s true. The main knocks against NA would appear to be quality and that it was different from what came before. The first part, quality; it\u2019s not really a discussable issue \u2013 unless you\u2019re among a group of friends that love you anyway (i.e., not the internet). It\u2019s just too open to interpretation <\/p>\n

I just finished what felt like a 574 hour marathon discussing the merits of various Hot Toys Robert Downey, Jr. heads. A large contingent of folks really liked this one particular head, I\u2019d best describe it as random goateed guy, and thought the \u201cwhoa, is that a photo of the toy or the real person\u201d head that I prefer, was \u201cawful\u201d, \u201cterrible\u201d, \u201cepic fail\u201d. Yes, quality is typically in the eye of the beholder.*<\/p>\n

* – That said, there are outliers in quality, things that are so good or so bad that leave only contrarians to deny. New Adventures, however, is not one of those things.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The second part, that it\u2019s simply too different from what came previously? Well, that by itself is generally not a great reason. I mean, it sure can feel right. It feels normal to be averse when something changes. It feels good to dislike it too. I\u2019ve experienced that firsthand myself (I\u2019m looking at you DC Comics!). Though, to be fair, and to cycle back around to quality a second, I mostly dislike The New 52 because I find so many of the new books low quality. It\u2019s not the cut-and-dry though, because a lot of the books were also terrible before<\/em> the New 52 started. I didn\u2019t really notice at the time though. <\/p>\n

Basically, I read more before the relaunch because whatever level of quality was wrapped in the familiar. I read bad books starring \u201cmy\u201d Superman and it was kinda okay if they weren\u2019t that great. Green Arrow. Flash. I just kept reading. Heck, my last New 52 book stars Kyle Rayner. It\u2019s not always good either, but Kyle is relatively untouched by the entire hubbub, so he still feels like he\u2019s mine. <\/p>\n

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Anyway, this wayward story is really the only defense I have for New Adventures. If I haven\u2019t been heretical already, I\u2019m going to do it now \u2013 Filmation is essentially the pre-New 52 DC in this story. It has its bright spots, it\u2019s cloaked in nostalgia, and it has certainly fared better in modern times than the Joe & Transformers cartoons (I can barely watch those, I own MOTU on DVD twice!), but it has terrible elements too. I haven\u2019t watched them all, nor all of NA, but if we did a poll of the select folks who have watched all episodes of both shows, would every episode of NA come in under all the episodes of Filmation? (Under POP? Under MO2K?) I imagine, albeit with uninformed optimism, that all the shows have highlights & lowlights. And that while Filmation is certainly considered better than NA overall, and its cultural impact (along with the toys, comics, etc) is undeniable, I think we should look at NA and find its bright spots, it\u2019s contributions. I\u2019d like to convince more folks to seek it out. <\/p>\n

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Why am I talking about this in a toy review (There will be a toy review I promise)? It\u2019s because that NA-dismissiveness has already come at a cost in the line. NA will not be completed in the Classics line. NA characters have already had their first grudge match (in which Mattel let 57 people in NY vote on which character the thousands of subscribers would \u201cGet\u201d to buy). It\u2019s disappointing. I admit I\u2019m biased, but there are NA characters that I really want, that I\u2019d prefer over some of the guaranteed vintage figures. I mean, there\u2019s always going to be guys who don\u2019t get figures \u2013 happens in every line no matter how hard the folks behind it try, but it\u2019s still sad to see NA end up on the cutting room floor so soon before the others. I get why \u2013 I believe the sales numbers that TG cites when explaining NA\u2019s demise in Classics. I just wish more folks could see what I see \u2013 it\u2019s not about how the show was or the \u201chow dare they change things\u201d attitude. It\u2019s just some cool figure designs that flesh out a line. Of course, the problem there is the figures need to stay cool\u2026 Something I\u2019m not sure quite sure Hydron does. <\/p>\n

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The NA rollout has been slow. The line is in its sixth year and we just now got Hydron. This guy was one of my top wants when everything got underway back in 2009. I don\u2019t know why. I never had the original toy. I think it\u2019s just that one oil painting of Hydron flying maybe? Or swimming? Yea, through space. It looks so cool and I wanted that in toy form, but it\u2019s not quite what we got.
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Hydron has a lot going for him. He has a lot of new tooling from head to flipper. Maybe a dozen new parts that, from a sculpting standpoint, all look sharp. But somewhere along the line he just became a little ball of frustrations for me. The bulky armor, which Mattel hilariously can\u2019t \u201csolve\u201d (it\u2019s simple, just call Terry Haguchi and he can show you how he kept the armor clasps on the back and not under the arm pits)<\/em>. The helmet is the other area for concern. It pushes his head down & forward when you put in on (the only way it really fits in there) and it connects to the hose right in front of his face. These two issues hilarious combine so that he\u2019s pretty much always starting at the air hose obstructing his view. To round things out, the hose is rubbery and, as such, had to be molded with the other rubbery bits, meaning it\u2019s painted yellow (and slowly turning green) Ugh. <\/p>\n

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Articulation is what we\u2019ve come to expect, right down to the bubbly-pushed out forearms. Everything works pretty well \u2013 except the neck. I really wish some thought could\u2019ve gone into the initial design here to allow him to look up more. <\/p>\n

The paintwork on my Hydron was sharp in most places. The gloves and accents on his suit are great. The head is mostly good too, but his eyes are a little weird and the camera reveals that not all of the agreed upon paint lines are as a sharp as they look in person. <\/p>\n

Hydron does have a removable helmet and hose\/air tanks, but he essentially just has one accessory, the Triton Spear Gun. It\u2019s essentially like a crossbow version of a trident. Very strange, but fun. It also has a spot on his belt loop, but it\u2019s a pain to get on and off.
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And I want that to be enough \u2013 I always find wondering what a figure should\u2019ve come with, but didn\u2019t, counter-productive. But I can\u2019t help it here. I blame Flipshot and his awesome alternate head. Hydron could\u2019ve used similar treatment, or at least make it so the little red breathing masks fits on the face and is datable to check out Hydron\u2019s mug (similar to Stinkor). That would\u2019ve been essential. Instead we got this bad looking seam on his face where the rebreather meets his cheek and no chance at all of Hydron being as cool as Flipshot. <\/p>\n

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Overall, Hydron is still a fun figure. Some of the flaws get a pass from me because he was so badly wanted. I\u2019ve popped off his helmet and tucked the air hose down in his collar and I like that look. The bulky armor can be explained as a pressure suit. And I do so love the colors. I would still like it more if he could look up better and if he had a few more display options, but I\u2019ll deal. <\/p>\n

I do wish folks could find more to love about NA though. I understand why they might not be so inclined though, I\u2019m still not reading a bunch of New 52 titles!<\/p>\n

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Recent MOTU Classics Reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

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