While I love all eras of He-Man, New Adventures is still the one I’m least knowledgeable about. I was kinda hoping Classics would aid me in that regard, learning a little more about as we went (and finally motivating me to watch those DVDs I bought years ago), but NA has been seldom seen in Classics. We’ve got 16 months until the line “ends”, and yet there are only nine NA figures in Classics so far, a third of which are main character variants.
In the vintage NA line, there were nine mutants and I don’t know how many were featured in the show and not made into toys. But here, six years into the line, and Flogg is only the fourth Space Mutant. Doh. We already know that NA isn’t going to be completed in the line, I know I’ll miss Tuskador most, but hopefully we see a few more of these guys creep into the line before all is said & done.
Flogg is the Leader of the Space Mutants in New Adventures and that created an interesting dynamic when Skeletor arrives: he stayed in charge, at least superficially. Imagine if Megatron became Starscream’s second-in-command or if Lex Luthor played second fiddle to Toyman. It works because it serves Skeletor’s interests, “serving” Flogg allowed him to acclimate to New Adventures and gain new “allies” in his battle against He-Man.
Flogg is recreated pretty well in Classics despite extensive reuse. We’ve got the eleventy-billionth reuse of Trap-Jaw legs, Hordak’s feet, Whiplash’s torso, and the Horde Trooper’s arms. Everything works though I’m still not a fan of the Horde Trooper arms. So many of the MOTUC figures are stuck in the “which way to the gym” pose due to the armor. The Trooper arms just do that normally anyway.
The main torso of the figure is where the new pieces can be found: the thighs, a new techno-diaper, new armor, and the new head. On the suit details, this is yet another great 4H sculpt. Those NA figures were packed with unpainted detail and that has given the 4H a lot to go on for the Classics figures. That mostly translated over to a sharp figure. We’re honestly well past the point of removable armor for some figures, but we keep getting it anyway to keep costs down. Flogg is hit & miss.
On the one hand the bulkiness is explainable by his spacesuit, and the diaper piece keeps things balanced, but it doesn’t always look good, particularly with the gap between the armor and the diaper when Flogg’s lizard torso makes an appearance. It’s not as terrible here as it is on other figures, but it’s still a reminder that things could be better.
On top of all that is the head sculpt. From a technical standpoint, it’s solid. The helmet is as sharp as the rest of the armor. The face is a decent update, but… I don’t like it. There’s just no menace to it. It’s like Clawful or Spikor, where the cartoon aspect inadvertently dominates what I’d like to see be a little more monstrous. Again, it’s not bad, but if you didn’t like previously cartoony beasts, then Flogg may not be to your liking either. Continue to Page 2…
yeah, no clue who he is/was either, but that Duncan head swap would be the first thing I’d do, too.
now how do you swap the MOTUC feet gain? 😉
As one who never saw the NA toon and folks thought the originals were far superior to the NA toys the MOTUCs versions have really brought a want to watch the toon. Did see the first ep and corny but fun. Seen far worse (any of todays CN shows)
Seeing his head in a jar in the last book is a creepy ending for him. I haven’t popped yet on any but now will as have an okay variety of NA characters to pick from. ( GP He-man was my first)
A great review and fun pics. I forgot he came with that sword.
You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a New Adventures add-on sub next year, similar to the Etheria sub this year, just to fill out the NA vintage line. I don’t think it would be as popular as Etheria but I think it would be right there with the 30th sub. If people know going in that the NA sub would complete the NA vintage line I think they’d be in just to have a complete collection.
I haven’t opened up a MOTUC figure in months (they’re in their shipping boxes in the garage) but I might have to dig out Flogg to get that animated sword and put it in Castle Grayskull.
what is the base body under the armor? that could make difference on his ability to lower his arms (providing one first trims the armor.)
i can’t say i really like the articulation scheme makes play almost impossible. the joints aren’t stiff enough to support a basic punch, or a batoning with the stun baton, and the hands don’t have a particularly satisfactory way to hold the big horde canon/staff… they look ok, they’re just functionally jacked. but i do love the torso under the horde trooper armor, and it does free up the shoulders to get the best range of motion from the arms. if flogg has that under his armor, i might have some custom possibilities…
but yes, the face is a total disaster, that’s where he loses any and all sense of gravitas or threat. it just looks derpy… derpish… derpified… not sure what the correct form of derp is here, but you get my point. (beyond vexed that yolo is now in the dictionary, but derp hasn’t made it in… we need derp, as iot serves the rhetorical function of replacing the out of style retard for things that are colossally stupid, but not derogatory towards the clinically impaired). with the arms as they are, i don’t even see a nice way to use this as a custom buck. this is definitely a figure that, had i not subbed, i would have passed entirely. having one coming eventually, i have to just suck it up and get creative.
The body underneath is the Whiplash body.
I actually like the head sculpt but am frustrated that we can’t take the helmet off.
The limited elbow movement is dreadful but I find myself liking the figure overall. I may be in the minority but he was an important character for me to get. I’ve equipped him with a spare Slush-head axe that makes him look more formidable.
I like New Adventures (well, the show, anyway. The toys, with the exception of 1st Skeletor, Optikk, Tuskador, and the role play havoc staff and sword of power, sucked). Flogg was a figure I was very much looking forward to since he’s such an essential character to the story. Overall, though, I’ve found him to be just “meh” at best. However that has nothing to do with the actual figure….
The figure itself is solid (even if the weapon is just…odd). The problem I have, and it’s one I’ve always had with Flogg since day one, is with the design of the character itself. He’s supposed to be the leader of the mutants until Skeletor shows up (I always preferred the story of the minicomics where Skelly outright takes over), but he looks nothing like an evil leader. The big bad is supposed to have the best design, and he so does not. He looks like an average foot soldier at best. The designs of all the other mutants, with the exception of Butte Head IMO, vastly outshine him.
I don’t regret picking him up at all, I was just hoping the 4H magic might elevate it more. The sword was easily the best part of the deal.
Flipshot head and feet work for customs on this body.
I think Alex hit in the head with his description. The design does make him look like a foot soldier. Personally I think he fits in better with the Snake Men…
Great review, pics, and comics, as always!
Wasn’t a huge fan of the original NA figures, but the 4H have really wowed me with their updates. Apart from the somewhat cartoonish face (not really sure how it could be fixed without making it NOT look like Flogg, though), the only thing I’d really change would be the boots. As with the Snake Men 2-Pack featuring a “pre-paint” of Rattlor’s parts, I think Flogg should’ve done similarly with IG Skeletor’s lower legs.
By the way, this message is popping up when I try to go into the forums:
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i don’t know how much of a priority it is for noisy, since we’re the only two who use the board regularly, but if he’s reading this, i’ve gotten the same for the better part of a week.
Got it! Thanks for letting me know!
Thank ‘e!
These Space Mutant characters are ugly but a cool way how they added them into Horde Empire. Flogg design turned out perfect.
Great review. I used to have the original. The head lookss a bit off and too small though. I wish they had got around to making Hoove.
I’m guessing you didn’t notice that the head-swap of Flogg and Duncan is kind of a homage (therefore an unintentional homage), as the second Flogg figure (Hook’Em Flogg) had a faceguard like Man-At-Arms’ one, and that’s not all: In “Planet of Junk”, when a hologram makes Flogg look like a human, he looks just like that Dunacan in Flogg’s armor.