{"id":6709,"date":"2010-06-25T00:45:54","date_gmt":"2010-06-25T05:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6709"},"modified":"2010-07-04T20:28:42","modified_gmt":"2010-07-05T01:28:42","slug":"motuclassics-com-keldor-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6709","title":{"rendered":"MOTUClassics.Com:
Keldor Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Power hungry, would-be dictator? Long lost brother of the King? Apprentice to one of Eternia’s greatest villains? Disfigured victim of circumstance? Crazed host to a pan-dimensional demon? Some Masters of the Univese characters have sediment histories, but Keldor\u2019s not among them.<\/P><\/p>\n

He’s gone from a simple idea inferred by a mini-comic to a more fleshed out character that left that one inference on the table, and in MOTU Classics all that came before has been combined with a history fraught with misfortune. It’s okay though, because through it all, Keldor’s still smiling.<\/p>\n

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I’ve had mixed feelings about Keldor ever since he debuted back in February. It had little to do with the figure itself. I was glad to have Keldor in the line; it’s the swords that got under my collar. I’m not a big fan of the half swords in the toy line and Mattel’s different attempts at explaining why they couldn’t do a classicized version of the evil 200x swords were largely unsatisfactory. I think that took away from the buildup for this figure in my eyes. Instead of getting everybody’s favorite villain before that unfortunate date with a vial of acid, I felt we were getting a figure with bad accessories. I’ll still rant a bit in the accessories section, but Keldor ended up with nice representation in the Classics line despite that drawback.<\/p>\n

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Keldor’s like a DCUC that’s relying almost entirely on his head sculpt. The figure is comprised of mostly Skeletor parts except for the lower forearms\/hands, feet, and the head. New boot pieces and Tri-Klops matching bracelets are reused to accommodate Keldor’s lack of demon influence. The boots are really… generic? If you’re a fan of new parts being added to the repertoire, then you’re in luck. We now have plain feet for future figures (I believe Marzo’s already got tabs on ’em too). <\/p>\n

So yes, the head is left to do most of the work and it does. The smiling sculpt is perfectly between charming and dastardly depending on the angle you look at it from. It’s a mix of Errol Flynn and Ming the Merciless. Going off his bio, you can play Skeletor as the idealistic uniter that he might have been or the sinister evil that he became. I love it. <\/p>\n

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Articulation is standard for the line with the only potential areas for change being the new pieces. The rocker ankles work fine, but I had to work on the one on the right foot to get it going. The head pivots on the neck fantastically with good tilt and a deep bow. Keldor could look up, but the hair and cape interfere with one another. I’ve been displaying him without the cape (and combined with the ab crunch) he’s got some good looking up poses in him.<\/p>\n

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It’s not really a paint issue per se, but Keldor is a very vibrant blue. I’m not sure I accurately captured it with my pics. He’s brighter than all of the other blue figures so far, even Faker, and very far from the washed out blue of Skeletor. It’s entirely possible that the merge with Demo-Man altered his skin tone as it apparently mutated his arms and feet, but it’s weird to think about the fact that Keldor is only half Gar. Either the blue genes are particularly dominant or a full Gar must be a deep blue. I know it’s just a kid’s toy line, but I think about these things…Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Anyway, as far as the regular paintwork goes, I’m happy with the deeper purple, similar to the TRU Skeletor and the dark washed crossbones on his chest. His face could be a little better, as his goatee extends up over his bottom lip. One thing that continues to drive me nuts with the line is that I can’t simply remove any excess paint because the heads are molded in the color of the armor and painted. Keldor’s head is purple under all that blue paint.<\/p>\n

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Keldor came with the one accessory that’s uniquely his: the acid vial, used in his backfired attempt to kill\/disfigure his brother Randor. The vial is molded in a light clear green with purple paint to distinguish its container. Though I suppose he could throw it at Randor, I view it as more of a prop than an accessory anything and I love that. At $20, with what has to be at least three times the planned production that MSRP was given to, and all the reused pieces, I would love to see more props in the line. Simply put, we can’t get enough stuff with these figures.<\/p>\n

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Oh yeah, the swords. And here I was getting all excited about the vial\u2026 Keldor comes with two half-swords. I’ve been critical of the half swords many, many times, so I’ll try to not go off on that tangent too much. This is our second purple “B” half and the first time we’ve gotten the “A” half in that same color. I do have to admit that these two halves go together better than any other pairs I’ve had so far in what must be a miracle attempting to halt my criticism. I’m glad, but not impressed. These swords only look good from one side, when they’re pretending to be full swords, and they don’t stay in the hands well because they’re flat on the back. Since my sword miraculously stays together, he’ll either be handling it that way or he’ll be trading his cape away for Skeletor’s full sword on my shelves.<\/p>\n

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Should this have been in the sculpt section? Probably. But it fit better here, so you have to bear with me. My Keldor has lost his cape to Skeletor. I wasn’t planning on doing that, but having them in hand, Keldor is giving me a young adventurer vibe and I don’t think the cape suits him whereas it is perfect for a veteran sorcerer. That’s how it goes.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the cape is nicely done, the folds at the bottom can be lined up with the calves so that it flares out or it can be pushed to the left so that it sits like the wind is blowing it a bit in that direction. The hole for the neck is large so that the swords can still be placed in the holster on Keldor’s back.<\/p>\n

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Overall, Keldor is a nice gem. I don’t know if I was overcome by the sword issue or initially not wowed by the high level of reuse, but when I got him opened and photographed, I started singing a different tune. I really like the head sculpt and the bright blue\/deep purple color scheme. Sure, he’s going to have to get some swords donated to him from somewhere, but he’ll make do until then. Swords aside, I think the only other missed opportunity here was a screaming\/burning head. That was such a grisly, but fun, detail on the 200x figure and it’s a shame the 4H didn’t get a classic crack at it. Still, Keldor is a fun figure and while I do prefer Skeletor to be straight-up evil, I have a feeling Keldor will be patrolling my shelves looking for evil ass to kick (Marzo, anybody?) and hitting on Evil-Lyn with that smile.<\/p>\n

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For more MOTU reviews, check out our MOTU Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Power hungry, would-be dictator? Long lost brother of the King? Apprentice to one of Eternia’s greatest villains? Disfigured victim of circumstance? Crazed host to a pan-dimensional demon? Some Masters of the Univese characters have sediment histories, but Keldor\u2019s not among them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":6710,"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":[480],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/kelTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-1Kd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4490,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=4490","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":0},"title":"MOTUClassics.Com: Keldor in Package","date":"March 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This afternoon at MattyCollector, Matty showed pictures ofKeldor in package along with our first look at his bio... MOTU Fans, For longer than we can remember, the background of Keldor\u2122 has been shrouded in mystery\u2026 but in preparation of his arrival on June 15th here at MattyCollector.com, we herewith reveal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Matty on Facebook"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4880,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=4880","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":1},"title":"Ask Matty – April 15th Edition","date":"April 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask MattyApril 15th, 2010 1) SilntAngl asks: After reading Keldor's bio, some fans aren't sure how to feel about the Lord of Destruction's humble beginnings. What's your take on the injustices that motivated Keldor to feel he would be a better ruler for Eternia? When we looked at the MOTUC\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1703,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=1703","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":2},"title":"Matty on Facebook: Return of the King!","date":"September 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Today on Facebook, Mattel posted images of the December Masters of the Universe figure, King Randor! Putting aside the humorous Burger King jokes, I am stoked about this figure. I never had it as a kid and though I love the stactions, they crossed the line into statue a lot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Matty on Facebook"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21534,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21534","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":3},"title":"MOTU Classics.Com Power-Con Keldor Sword Exclusive Review","date":"October 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This is going to be a quick review today. I usually aim for about a thousand words per review, but all I\u2019m covering is a teeny, tiny sword. I don't remember if I posted about it at the time, but shortly before Power-Con Mattel announced they\u2019d give away an accessory\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3520,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=3520","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":4},"title":"Matty on Facebook: Evil Lyn in Package!","date":"January 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Today on Facebook, Mattel posted images of the April Club Eternia figure, Evil Lyn: Skeletor's mistess of magic! Coming your way in April, only on Mattycollector.com! Evil-Lyn comes complete with staff, wand (with removbale swapable headpiece), Skreeech, bird armor and bird perch! Continue your collection this April! From the back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Matty on Facebook"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10031,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=10031","url_meta":{"origin":6709,"position":5},"title":"Ask Matty November 1st Edition","date":"November 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Will the Wal-Mart 2pks continue beyond Fates Intertwined & Power Struggle or are those the only two currently scheduled?","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6709"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6709"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7319,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6709\/revisions\/7319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}