MOTUClassics.Com:
Whiplash Review

I would’ve never pegged Whiplash as the figure to trigger an uproar, but given his name, perhaps it’s appropriate. The controversy, at least this week, is a bigger story than the figure itself, but will he really be the last classics figure with a MO2Kesque head? After having him in-hand, I hope not.

If you’ve been busy this week, you might not have heard that Whiplash’s alternate MO2K* head was determined to be “200x for 200x’s sake” by Mattel management and, for now, Whiplash will be the last figure to get an alternate MO2K-inspired head – though MO2K-inspired heads can still come on MO2K-inspired figures. Makes sense doesn’t it?

* – While I do like Poe Ghostal’s use of the word Millenium because he doesn’t like the term 200x (I don’t either), I’ve never really been able to get behind it. I think it’s a great descriptor, but it’s longer to type 200x so it doesn’t work for me. Yesterday, I was reminded of another term from back in the day, that was used by Poe as well, that does works for me: MO2K (MOTU + 2K). It may not work for everyone, but I’m tired of typing 200x, so going forward at IAT, it’s MO2K.

Anyway, before I get into the meat of the review, I want to say that I love all eras of MOTU. All of ’em. My NA DVDs sit proudly next to my POP DVDs. My vintage Sy-Klone figure hangs out next to my MO2K Sy-Klone. I’m happy to let others play favorites and dis others, but I want Classics as inclusive as possible. I bought two Whiplash figures so that I could display him both ways and celebrate two great eras of MOTU. I’d like to be able to do with more figures in the future.

Above, we have the standard version of Whiplash and he’s surprisingly, minus the loincloth/crotch, an all-new sculpt. I knew most of him would have to be new, but having him in-hand really hits that point home. His armor is not removable in the traditional sense, but if you do remove it, Whiplash has an entirely scaly torso underneath. I can see getting plenty of reuse on some of the other baddies and I love the scales on the shoulders, in particular. I never liked the smooth arms of the vintage figure when compared to his chest and I think it’s these little details that help bring the overall look together.

Whiplash’s forearms and legs are also new to him, though most of this figure will see re-use as Buzz-Off. I really love his boots too. They are boots right? There’s this weird ambiguity about MOTU feet. This is particularly an issue with Whiplash as the overall design could be construe them as his feet, but their color matches only his loincloth. And if we construe them as boots with painted ‘toenails’, what do his feet look like under there? His hands are normal, so does Whiplash secretly have normal feet? Ah, the mysteries of Masters of the Universe…

Of course, his main feature is his trademark tail. It’s a separate piece that clips on to the armor (to better accommodate parts reuse, Buzz-Off’s wings will attach similarly). It’s a bit weird this way, along with the front armor, because it makes Whiplash feel like he’s in a dude in a crocodile shell, but it works. The tail itself is a hefty chunk of plastic. It’s a snug fit for his back It can disconnect from the bottom peg for deep poses, but stays in place pretty well. The detail is on it is pretty cool too. I imagine I’m going to pose one of my Whiplash figures looking over his shoulder while facing the back of the shelf. It looks that good. It features one articulation point, a swivel about mid-thigh. I do wish it had a bit more articulation, but the one joint allows for plenty of poses – some of which are simply about moving the tail to one side so that it’s out of the way.

I have to admit that the ‘eyebrows’ always threw me a bit on the vintage figure, but the 4H have translated them well on this design. The head has a rock star vibe to it because of the eye details, but that’s why I like it. In the early shots, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy this head, but in-hand, it’s got a lot of emotion to it. He looks a bit mischievous really. Like he knows something you don’t, which, considering Whiplash, is hilarious. Plus, this guy is definitely a bruiser and I can’t wait to get a Fisto to stage some epic fights.

Ah, the MO2K head. The source of all the controversy surrounding Whiplash. I’d heard from a few heads that this head was too big or an odd fit, it’s not. In person, the head is the right scale and fits in seamlessly. I also don’t think it’s “too MO2K”. If you’re not a fan of MO2K, you probably think I’m crazy for saying that, but the truth is that the actual MO2K Whiplash sculpt had a lot more detailing around the eyes, including more realistic pupils, finer teeth, and a lot of little dimples and bumps that have been removed for this “classicized” version. Since being a MO2K fan is part of my MOTU fandom, I appreciate those details on that MO2K figure and I see their absence, but certainly don’t mind it, in Classics. This head toed the ambiguous line that Mattel has set forth and I’m disappointed that they don’t see it that way. The level of detail is high, but it’s consistent with the other head and the rest of the body.

Despite the new tooling, the articulation is standard for the line plus the swivel point on the tail. The torso armor restricts the biceps a bit, but that’s nothing new. And the ankles are wonderfully tight on this new sculpt, even though his tail would provide plenty of balance if they weren’t. Continue to Page 2 for Accessories & Paint…

32 thoughts on “MOTUClassics.Com:
Whiplash Review

  1. HA! That last picture is priceless. Nice review. I have to agree – the 200x head is superb.

  2. What does Skeletor pay his flunkies with? What’s the benefits program like?

    I hear you on the paint issues on the heads. The 200x head on mine has a right eye that drifts to the right. Must be Mattel’s revenge for my recent posts on the 200x subject…

    Also, as much as I dig the 200x head and the figure overall, I agree with many in that it just seems a bit too big. It’s not horrible, but I think I’d like it smaller to look more like the pinheaded 200x figure. Does the 200x figure have a balljointed head? I wonder if a transfer is possible.

    1. LOL

      I’ve been beating myself up over ordering two subs for next year, but I would’ve been ticked off if I got only one of the two Whiplashes.

      I think I could see people feeling it’s a bit too big from certain angles. I should’ve taken a dead on picture, it looks really good in that pose.

      As for a ball joint on the old one, I don’t know. Maybe? Or it could just be a loose swivel. LOL

    2. “What does Skeletor pay his flunkies with? What’s the benefits program like?”

      Well, we know they’ve at least got dental.

  3. It makes you wonder if those are boots, how does he get his feet into them in the first place?

    Good review, and I love the last pic especially. Whiplash has always been my favorite of Skeletor’s henchmen. I couldn’t be happier right now.

    1. I have no idea. I think he has tiny feet in there. LOL

      I didn’t get into Whiplash as a kid, but in his defense, I always preferred the heroes to the villains across the board.

  4. Why do you refer to 200X as “MO2K” part of the way into the article? What does MO2K even mean? Is it just a made-up phrase you’ve come up with? I saw someone (you?) using that same phrase on the Org yesterday in a now closed thread about beating a dead horse.

    1. It wasn’t me using that phrase at the Org (I was glad to see that thread go), but it did remind me of a term for 200x that I’d heard years ago either at Poe Ghostal’s or OAFE maybe.

      I added a little italic section into the review explaining my use of the MO2K term for new readers. I’m just tired of 200x as a term because I don’t think it’s a good descriptor. I’ve been looking for something to replace it with. I’m going to try out MO2K for awhile and see how it goes.

      1. I don’t like the term 200x either; I just use “2002”….I also coined the phrase MOTU02, but no one else seems to like it…

      2. Everyone’s trying to coin their new term for the “200x” line. I’ve just always gone with that because it seems to be the general title given to it. PoeGhostal has tried to start a new trend by calling it the “Millennium” line, which does have a ring to it. Its funny the term “200x” is usually pronounced “Two thousand EX” but in reality its “Two Hundred EX”! 😉

  5. The Heads in the pictures look off. The Colors seem to be a brighter green than anything else on his body. Is this a correct analysis? Or is it the pics or lighting maybe?

  6. Hey, guys, long time reader, first time poster. I have some comments:

    I like your reviews. There well thought out and at times are funny. To be honest, I’ve been enjoying them for over a year. In fact, this site and Poe’s are one of the reason I started collecting this line, starting with Tri-Klops over a year ago.

    The controversy regarding the 200X inspired head is nothing more than a joke. When you compare the two heads together, the vintage one has far more detail than the 200X one. To me, Mattel’s Meddling Middle Management seems like there trying to remove all the MO2K (giving it a shot) elements from MOTUC. I thought MOTU Classics is supposed to represent all eras of MOTU merged into a classic style, not whatever they pick and choose. It’s downright disappointing.

    Even though Toyguru says they may try to do 200X inspired versions of characters down the road, given the middle management current mentality, I honestly have a hard time believing him.

    I’m starting to get concerned for NA and POP at this point. What’s to stop middle management from removing NA and POP as well if they feel they are taking to long to sell-out. At this rate we may only have a straight up vintage line, alienating the other eras in the process. Where’s the fun in that?

    The line was doing fine the way it was. Seriously bug off, meddling middle management. Any more needless interference and all your going to do is hurt this line.

    Sorry for the rant, Looking forward to the next review.

    Also when is Mr. Rant going to post another article? I enjoyed those too.

    1. Thanks for commenting, Mose!

      You’ve got a good rant going! I’ve tried to not to go too far down the “sky is falling” road with the latest 200x issue, but we have learned that there is nothing to stop management from stepping in and making this broad decisions. I’m sure that NA & POP are safe, but the possibility exists that any element could be stricken in a similar manner based solely on that one person’s beliefs.

      The truth is that that’s true for any toy line, any one involved can play favorites and alter the line to their whims. It’s a bit of idealism on our part to ask that not happen, but ask we must!

    2. Yeah, I wouldn’t be too worried about NA and PoP characters getting the ax either. Those two sections have been committed to repeatedly whenever Mattel personnel have been asked about their inclusion in the line, and unlike 200x/MO2K (happy, Noisy?), hasn’t been threatened in veiled, confusing ways.

      That plus, we’ve gotten Optikk, Adora, She-Ra, and Bow on the way – I think NA and PoP are safe. But don’t get me wrong, like you, I’m down to see more.

      1. Thanks for the replies, guys.

        It’s just annoying and disappointing that the higher ups seem to have no problems shunning a part of the community for something that was Mattel’s fault to begin with regarding the MO2K line. At this point it looks like they’re more interested in producing straight up vintage figures. TBH, as a MO2K fan, I was happy with the nods here and there (i.e.: Webstor’s extra eyes and legs, Tri-Klops’ eyes underneath the visor and the vintage inspired doomseeker, etc.). I loved that they were merging elements from multiple eras into one style and figure.

        I just believe that after soon to be two and a half years, they should be releasing all eras equally, because as soon as one era/line is complete, some fans of said line may stop collecting this line altogether.

        P.S: Will He-Ro ever get a re-release? Or was he a one time thing?

  7. I received mine yesterday & the vintage head looks way better than the modern head. Oh another funny review again!!!

  8. I’m just not feeling Whiplash. He’s a decent figure as far as MOTUC goes, but tehre’ sjust something about him I don’t like.

  9. My tail part doesn’t want to stay on very well. I had to really push it on and even then if he leans back a bit on the tail it comes off.

  10. As soon as I got him, I ripped off the old school head (FINISH HIM! MORTAL KOMBAT!!!) and threw it in the trash. It was a bad design back then and it’s a horrible design now. The new head actually looks better and flows better and, I don’t see why everyone says it was too big, because… it looked fine. If you were to go with a more “pin head” look, then the entire proportion of his body is the one that’s too small. But, I think it’s fine and if they decide to make his brother, then the new head design would flow better.

    The reason why I rip on the new head’s design is for the fact that it looks like a factory screw up for the old vinyl heads, like it was squashed from the sides at the factory. This is from the front view, mind you. When you have him at a profile view (from the side, for those who don’t understand what I’m talking about…) it furthers this opinion because it looks to long from his face to the back of the head.

    In the end, the “newer” head actually fits the bill of actually updating the character for today’s standards. I never really liked (or remembered, for that matter) Whiplash from the old cartoons but the newer MO2/200x cartoon (it’s not even an anime…) … well… no… I still didn’t really care for him… But at least he still looks cooler now.

  11. Aww, the trash? LOL

    I guess that balances things out, I saw a guy who threw the MO2K head in the trash on the Org!

    I’d love to get a Ceratus. Personally, depending on the amount of MO2K Meddlor lets through from the 4H to us, I’m hoping we get Ceratus with some newer MO2Kesque armor and then I might switch my newer Whiplash head to that body.

  12. meddlor… that’s funny, or would be if it weren’t true. apparently poe just outed meddlor again w/ the reveal that the adam paint master had a back frog for his sword.

  13. I just can’t get behind the Millennium/MOTU2K (pronounce that MOE-TEWK!)/200x head. If it was just a smidge smaller, it would probably look a lot better. Its a great design, don’t get me wrong. Maybe with a little customizing it would look good.

    I’d never throw away a head I didn’t like, I just couldn’t do it! ^_^

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