Review of Panthro - Thundercats 1/4 scale action figure

Introduction

Like Masters of the Universe, Thundercats never did a whole lot for me from a story perspective. But, again just like MOTU, the character designs were to my liking. There were toys back in the day of course, but modern collectors appreciate an updated approach to those classic designs.

Mezco is on the third release in their cool 'mega scale' series. These figures are almost quarter scale, although with animated characters that's a bit open to interpretation. After releasing Lion-O and Mumm-Ra, they're hitting us up with Panthro, one of the baddest cats in both the old and new cartoons. A brilliant mind and fantastic fighter, he is one of the best characters in the universe.

Mezco hasn't announced anything past Panthro yet, but let's keep our fingers crossed for a Cheetara at least! You should be able to find this guy at local FYE stores, as well as a number of online retailers.

Packaging - ***
Nothing super surprising here, but the large window does show off the figure well. It's not as collector friendly as I'd like, or as it could have been, since they tape the accessories to the backer tray. It tends to rip the paper when you remove it, although you may be more lucky than I was with a little extra care.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Fans of the classic show should be very happy with this figure, and with the overall mega scale line in general. It's a great looking version of Panthro, with a dynamic stance and dangerous expression.

The hands are designed to work with a variety of poses and with the included weapon.

There's not a ton of small detail work here, but what there is looks great. Sharply cut details stand out well, and the musculature looks realistic and proportional.

The figure stands great on his own, even with very little leg articulation. The other figures are over 14", but Panthro is in a much deeper stance, dropping him down closer to 13". True quarter scale is really 18", but these are close enough for me.

Paint - ***1/2
There's a little slop around the edges of the silver bands, but that's about the only quality issue I see. The eyes look terrific, and the subtle differences in the skin colors looks great. Most of the other cut lines - non-silver - are clean and sharp.

It might not appear in all the photos that the teeth are white, but they are. Very clean too - he has good hygiene!

Articulation - **1/2
There's not a ton of articulation on these figures, since they are rotocast, but there's enough to get some decent poses.

The neck is a ball joint with a little tilt and lean action, and the ball jointed shoulders work fairly well. The waist is also a ball, and can tilt and lean with the best of them. The wrists and ankles are cut joints, but that's about it. No elbow, hip or knee articulation, and it's particularly annoying on the arms, where the extreme sculpted poses make it a bit tougher to do much with them.

Accessories - **1/2
There are two extras here - an additional left hand, and Panthro's version of nunchaku.

The chuks are thin and long, with a real metal chain between. They fit in the specially sculpted hands well, and are large enough for the character. Before seeing these, I didn't think you could make this particular type of weapon look silly - now I know I was wrong. It's the little hands on the ends - goofy as Hell. That's not Mezco's fault though, since you have to do the best you can with what the character gives you.

The extra left hand is the one intended to hold the weapon. It swaps easily with the main hand, which is pose in a splayed sculpt.

Fun Factor - ***
I wish we had figures in this scale when I was a kid - talk about playground battles! These are unlikely to end up with many kids, unless their parents have bought the classic show for them on DVD. Still, these would be a ton of fun, and are built well enough to handle even brutal play action.

Value - ***1/2
I had to re-evaluate the $30 price tag on this guy. I had it as an average value on the previous two releases, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I was underscoring them here. With far smaller figures running $20 - $25, getting a large scale mega dude like this for just $30 is an extremely good value.

BTW, this is one of those times where the figure is cheaper at the local store than at an online retailer. I picked up mine at an FYE for $30, and most online shops are charging $3 - $5 more.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***
I'm a huge fan of this scale, and can't wait until I can display them all together across the various licenses. It's a pity that NECA and McFarlane have pretty much given up this size, but thankfully Mezco is still hanging in there.

This guy isn't quite as good as Mumm-Ra, but I do like him better than the normal Lion-O. I'm hoping he sells well enough that we see the line continue in 2013, and perhaps also see some other licenses get this same mega treatment.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - **1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth also has $35.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I checked out both the Lion-O and the Mumm-Ra in this scale, also from Mezco.

And if you're looking for something smaller, check out the 6" Classic Lion-O, the smaller classic Mumm-ra, as well as the large 8" classic Lion-0, modern 6" Lion-O, and modern 6" Tygra.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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