{"id":27126,"date":"2014-02-28T00:09:08","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T06:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27126"},"modified":"2014-04-14T00:39:52","modified_gmt":"2014-04-14T05:39:52","slug":"motuclassics-com-strong-or-review-strong-arm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27126","title":{"rendered":"MOTUClassics.Com Strong-Or
Review (Strong Arm!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Time to wrap up this little unofficial MOTUC Week with a look at the last 2013 figure, Strong-Or. (I think that catches us up to Glimmer? Not counting Stackable Stands, the Great Unrest Weapons Pak, and Castle Grayskull Man, gee \u2013 I really need to get him done). Strong-Or came out in December, the last figure for Club Filmation \u2013 though he came out alongside Filmation villain Plundor, the last figure for 2013 Club Eternia, so the line on that is kinda blurry. It seems like you could\u2019ve switched them around and no one would be the wiser. <\/p>\n

When Classics was in full swing, I pushed for Strong Arm (poor guy can\u2019t even get his own name) to be included. We all know the loud calls to finish off the vintage toy have to be appeased roster (OH MY GOD! RIGHT NAOW! WASTE OF A SLOT!). But years from now I\u2019m telling you, Classics will be remembered for who it did well and who ended up being made exclusively to that line. In the long run, Classics identity is going to be more defined by folks like Strong Arm and Plundor than Beast Man & Stratos, who will surely get made again in some form, down the road, some day.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, this could be our only Strong Arm, or Strong-Or figure\u2026 ever. He\u2019s kinda obscure, appearing in only one episode, She-Demon of something or another, as one of Skeletor\u2019s henchmen. I\u2019m not sure why he never cropped up again (we could maybe blame his being not-symmetrical, that\u2019s not animation-friendly, but neither was Fisto) or why Mattel would\u2019ve passed on giving him a figure back in the day (it was an early episode, maybe too early?), but either way he was quickly left by the wayside, turning into one of those characters that inspires far more fan art or custom figures (in vintage, MO2K, & Classics styles) than you would\u2019ve ever dreamed after watching the episode. <\/p>\n

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This lack of back story led to something particularly awesome: his bio. There are still issues, like why a cybernetic genius is working in a mine, but take a gander: <\/p>\n

Originally a worker in the photanium mines of Phantos, Dalmus lost his right arm and parts of his face when a mechanical press folder malfunctioned. Desiring to become a super strong menace, the master metal-worker stole large amounts of photanium, the strongest metal in the universe, from the mines and created a new face and telescoping arm. After Strong-Or\u2019s thievery was discovered, Queen Elmora banished him from her kingdom. Years later, he returned with Skeletor to invade the photanium mines, but when He-Man freed Queen Elmora from Skeletor\u2019s influence, Strong-Or was forced out of Phantos once again. Strong-Or has a powerful punch that extends great distances and is nearly as strong as He-Man.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don\u2019t normally comment on the bios, but after posting Standor\u2019s I just felt like it again. And Dalmus Fu, aside, it\u2019s pretty good. Having him made out of photanium, the focus of the episode, and giving him a grudge against Elmora actually fleshes out an old episode. Impressive. I wish the figure could keep up. <\/p>\n

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That\u2019s harsh I guess. There is actually a ton I like about the figure! This is probably another case of the “Plus-Minus System<\/a>” with my expectations being high on a figure that came out just fine. He\u2019s actually got a ton a lot of new pieces \u2013 the upper boots are new even though I swear they\u2019re not. The loincloth is new (and look how it curves around, hugging that inner-hip joint \u2013 UNPOSSIBLE!). The new armor looks great. And the arms? The arms are fantastic! <\/p>\n

It\u2019s good the arms are solid to because they\u2019re kinda this guy\u2019s thing. They look sharp. The detail on the arms is great and the telescoping \u201caction feature\u201d works by popping the arm off at the elbow and attaching a longer arm. That\u2019s wonderful too. It even gets Strong Arm an extra articulation point \u2013 while everything is else is the normal complement, this elbow is a ball joint now and that really helps open up the poses for the big arms. <\/p>\n

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The only knock I even have here is that the pegs for this feature are unique instead of, y\u2019know taking the opportunity to go all Modulok, or work with Roboto\/Two-Bad, or my old lament of not thinking ahead on Fisto & Jitsu. The lack of a cohesive plug\/port system across these figures is truly uninspired and poor engineering, but I digress because I do like the arms. <\/p>\n

If you read my reviews often, you know it\u2019s the rivets and seams that are winning me over. I love little details. The great detailing on the boots, the loincloth, on the armor, they all look fantastic and do a great job from bringing a simple Filmation look into 3D, but… Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Then you get to the noggin. It\u2019s there. It works. The spikes are a fun faux-hawk, the mask has a great death metal feel, he even has this fantastic, probably unintentional, dissatisfied (\u201clike, really, dude?\u201d) look on his face. I love the expressiveness of the sculpt. But it just doesn\u2019t all gel. It ends up as a somewhat gummy-looking cartoon head on a figure that was otherwise translated well. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s just the gloopy paint (particularly on the ears), or the necessary-rounding of the spikes, or what, but the head just doesn\u2019t live up to the potential of the body. Or even other figures \u2013 look at Plundor or Fang Man as examples. Plundor didn\u2019t get a smooth cartoon bunny head, he got fur. On Strong-Or, rivets were added throughout the body, why not a few smartly placed on the mask? It\u2019s not bad, but I just feel meh about it. Moving on. <\/p>\n

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Strong Arm also wins me over for his color palette. I think that\u2019s been the great thing about the Filmation line really. Figures like Icer or Batros bring these new color combos after dozens of figures. It\u2019s really refreshing. Some of these Filmation guys just pop on the shelf. I love that. Strong Arm is a new featured member of that club too. He draws the eye with his (I\u2019m hoping, nipples aside) orange jumpsuit, the blue armor, the blue metallic highlight. He\u2019s as sharp as the points on his head aren\u2019t! <\/p>\n

The flipside of the color is the paint. Boy howdy, did I end up with a particularly sloppy Strong Arm. I\u2019ve only ever returned a handful to Matty, typically I intend to fix the paint myself down the road, but Strong Arm\u2026 I prolly shoulda, There are a few stray marks in the orange plastic here and there on his legs, arm, and head. His head, by the way, is molded blue and painted over. It\u2019s a shame because I think it\u2019s a duller gray than the arm and that doesn\u2019t help his head sculpt one bit, but scratches also show the blue underneath. Stinky. The worst area for me was the metallic blue spikes on the head though. That paint\u2019s kinda splattered all over the back of his head. Doh. <\/p>\n

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In addition to the sweet extended arm, Strong Arm gets this awesome ray gun. One of the highlights of Club Filmation was the accessories, or artifacts, from the cartoon. I loved getting these in the second half of the year and this rifle is no exception. I had thought it was the Ray Gun used to teleport people to another dimension from Teela\u2019s featured episode, but the internet tells me it\u2019s just a shrink ray. Either way, it\u2019s an awesome piece and looks great. I\u2019ve handed it off to some other villains though as it looks best when held with two hands and well, Strong Arm isn\u2019t good for that.
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Overall, I guess I shouldn\u2019t knock the head sculpt too much. I just wish it were as detailed as the body. The boots, loincloth, and armor look so great and it just clashes to my eye. Strong-Or is still a solid contender and a great ending piece to the Filmation Club though. I can\u2019t believe it took nearly thirty years for a guy with such a great look to get a toy! The extra gun is a nice touch and the two arms were fun for the pics, but I think the base figure is the real sleeper here. This is a figure you could really come to appreciate over time, particularly if you get one actually painted well. It makes me feel like Strong Arm coulda been a contender if he\u2019d just gotten more screen time to shine thirty years ago. Luckily, this figure is doing a good job of making up for lost time. <\/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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