Masters of the Universe Classics Spirit of Hordak Review (Mattel) / Vale Earl Norem 1924-2015

The review included in this blog entry was originally published way back in October 2013 on Poeghostal.com. It was written specifically for Poe Ghostal's site so may contain specific references to the site etc. Due to the age of the article, some of the information contained within may have dated somewhat. For example, obviously since the Spirit of Hordak chase figure came out, we've had Loo-Kee and Kowl as well as the recent Spirit of King Grayskull (Which I still don't have! OMC*). This version contains slightly different wording as well as many new links that were originally removed from the final version by the editor. You can check out the originally published version on Poe Ghostal's site here.

Before we begin this recycled review, I'd just like to pay tribute to one of the greatest illustrators who ever walked the Earth: Mr. Earl Norem. Along with the likes of William George and Alfredo Alcala, Earl Norem was an integral element of the Masters of the Universe mythos in its illustrated form. Aside from MOTU however, he was just an all-round wonderful artist. I was literally only just looking at some of his brilliant work and reading the interview with him in the recent Masters of the Universe Art Book a few days before he passed. Here's some footage of the man himself hanging out with Stan Lee at a con a few years back. Rest in peace, Earl Norem. You will be sorely missed but thankfully your decades of amazing work will be with us for generations to come.

VALE EARL NOREM 1924-2015

*Oh My Crom!

MOTU DAY 2015: FIVE THINGS YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE FROM THEIR VINTAGE GOLDEN BOOKS ADVENTURES

FOR THOSE WHO CAME IN LATE.......

MOTU Day is April 28th or so it was decreed back in 1987 by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

He might not have meant for anybody to celebrate it in 1988 or ever again, but it's still an absolute fact. 

This actually happened. 

It doesn't matter that it was created for the sole purpose of promoting the POWER TOUR that was running through LA at the time - if it was good enough for Mayor Tom Bradley and the fine people of Los Angeles, it's good enough for you. 

MOTU has an actual day. (See: Los Angeles Times Article April 23rd, 1987 to read it transcribed in print)

So it was declared, so it shall be done. Forever and ever.  He-men.

MOTU DAY 2015 logo by The Toy Box

Masters of the Universe Classics Hordak Review (Mattel)

This review was originally published way back in April 2013 on Doomkick.com. It was written specifically for the Doomkick site's 1st Anniversary celebrations so may contain specific references to the site etc. Due to the age of the article, some of the information contained within may have dated somewhat. Although this piece was actually published before my "Mosquitor" guest review on Poe Ghostal's site, it is still chronologically (in terms of the order I wrote them) the second guest review I ever did. You can check out the originally published version (that comes with an introduction from Hoard World's "management") on the Doomkick site here.

Hi. I'm Hoardax.

Yes, the Hoardax. Maybe you've heard of me or maybe you've heard of me!

This isn't about me today, though. That was just a formality to set my new audience at ease. I am completely out of my comfort zone. Normally, I'd be talking to the legion of Hoard Worlders over on my Facey B page or on The Blog - to rapturous applause, often a standing ovation.

But today, I talk to YOU - The Doomkickers. Be gentle with me, won't you? Like many artists, or siblings of Evil Dictators who have become estranged due to a conflict of interests (He wanted to murder everybody all the time; I enjoy collecting nice things and sharing my love of said things with the world via the internets), I am very sensitive.

Masters of the Universe Classics Mosquitor Figure Review (Mattel)

This review was originally published way back in May 2013 on Poe Ghostal.com. It was written specifically for Poe's site so contains many references (and links) to his other reviews. Due to the age of the article, some of the information contained within may have dated somewhat.  This is the complete, unabridged version. You can check out the slightly edited version on Poe Ghostal's site here.

The latest addition to The Mighty Horde's army is Mosquitor The Evil Energy Draining Insectoid, who was released last December. He sold out reasonably quickly after he went on sale but has since turned up on Mattycollector for sale as excess Customer Service Stock. Which has also sold out. If you missed out, there's a pretty good chance he's still floating around on eBay for prices somewhere higher than Chief Carnivus or Dekker but much less than Whiplash or Beastman.

To my knowledge, Mosquitor never made an appearance in the Filmation cartoon or the 200x version. He did, however, get his own front cover fighting He-man in one of those Marvel Star Comics of the late 80s. Issue 8, I believe it was.

As such, we've never really known that much about him. All we know is that he's one of The Horde, he has a Mosquito head and he sucks blood. Oh, and that he's actually FEMALE thanks to The Fwoosh and their magnificent, fact-based logic.

It's well documented that Mosquitor is Pixel Dan's favourite MOTU character EVER. This was irrefutably proven once and for all by this video where Dan's celebration of finally receiving a MOTUC version results in a Kafka-esque Metamorphosis....and Gangnam Style Dancing. These days it's hard to even think about Mosquitor without thinking about Pixel Dan. (Or do I have some kind of problem?) In fact, Poe talked to him just the other day about the concept of a Toy Fan's favourite obscure character being called "My Mosquitor."

The "My Mosquitor" definition revolves around a "guilty pleasure" character that isn't popular with everybody. Now, there's a chance Pixel Dan might read this but this isn't why I'm saying what I'm about to say.....

WHO DOESN'T LOVE MOSQUITOR? Seriously. I want a show of hands.

He/She is a MOSQUITO-headed vampire that SUCKS BLOOD! The vintage figure had a blood-pumping chest action! Are you kidding me? That's objectively the best thing that ever happened.

But is the MOTUC re-imagining of Mosquitor a piece of black plastic recycling? Let's find out.

Eternia Is Everywhere - Masters of the Universe Fan Art Project

A beautiful quality screenshot from the wonderful quality video you are about to watch.

A little while ago, I came across a guy on eBay who was selling lovely photos of vintage Masters of the Universe figures. I was intrigued to say the least!

I'll let him explain it himself:

(excerpt from his eBay listings) "My name is Marlon. I am a hobby artist and realized my childhood dream in 2011-2013 creating my version of the beloved MotU 80´s advertisement leaflets we all love. In total I took 87 pictures of the vehicles and characters of the MotU 80s toy-line all over Germany and France.

All my pictures are framed and ready for display! Only 1 produced and signed by the artist and together with the GPS-Co-ordinates where it was taken and a picture on the other side  of the displayed motive showing the very place in human perspective.

The whole idea is not new and some of you made similar projects. Anyhow it was and is my dream that all of my 87 pictures will find a new home somewhere in the world. Maybe with you?"

Before long I had some of my very own, you can watch what happened in real time here:

You can visit (and buy) Marlon's remaining one-off pieces right here on eBay and take a look at the Eternia is Everywhere Facebook page here if you're interested in viewing more of his work with some history and commentary behind them.

One thing is for sure, thanks to artists like Marlon: Eternia really is everywhere!

yr pal,

HOARDAX.

DC Universe Classics Green Arrow Figure Video Review (Mattel)

It's 38 degrees celsius today on Hoard World (which is just over 100 degrees fahrenheit for people that don't do celsius), so it's important that you keep your fluids up, stay out of the sun and, where necessary, share your refreshments with your pals, just like I am here with Five Dollar Hulk. I'm lovely.

No, you're not imagining things. This is already the second blog entry of 2015: one in which I continue to wow the YouTube-o-sphere with more poor quality gonzo-style toy videos that involve elongated attempts to open a simple action figure package, surprise cats and royalty free rap music.

I can't believe you're not already watching it.

In case you can't be bothered, here's two pictures that I lazily took with my phone and no enhancements which give you some idea of what a Green Arrow action figure looks like; almost opened and out of the pack.

At this rate, I expect I will be the next Pixel Dan in no time.

Stay cool.

yr pal,

HOARDAX.

p.s. you can now be personal Facey B friends with me. 

Get on that if you feel like going that extra mile.

Total Heroes Ultra Firestorm comes with three interchangeable heads
plus a floating transparent Professor Stein head. That's just about the
best accessory that Firestorm could ever have. I love it.

BRING YOUR MAN-E-FACES TO WORK DAY ON HOARD WORLD!

So there I was. At home. It was September 2nd. Just trying to do a nice, honest day's work. Taking pics. Listing on eBay. Being excellent on social media. That sort of thing.

That's when it happened. This guy (I think his name was "Manny") turns up. No hello. No nothin'. And he just won't leave me alone. He doesn't say a word. He just stands there. Watching me. Hugging me. Posin' for pics like the one you just saw.

AN OPEN LETTER TO JEFF WADLOW - DIRECTOR OF THE UPCOMING MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE FILM.

Jeff Wadlow (Writer/Director of Kick-Ass 2, the upcoming X-Force film and allegedly the new He-man film).
Pic Source: Celluloid & Cigarette Burns.

I don't expect that Mr. Wadlow will ever see this (however, I plan on immediately tweeting this to him after I publish it....so, who knows?) but I do think that if there was ever a director on Earth who was directing a Masters of the Universe film who might actually read this, it's the one who turned up to SDCC 2014 and chatted to MOTU fans about the Masters of the Universe movie.

Previously here on Hoard World, I have dream cast the new Masters of the Universe film if you haven't read that yet (Jeff, you can take a look too, if you like pal) but this will indeed be the first time I have directly addressed a current director of the new Masters of the Universe film using the magic of the internets.

Ahem.

Here goes...

WHAT HAS HONG KONG PHOOEY DONE FOR ME LATELY? aka HOW TO KENNY ROGERS.

The answer is: Not enough.

Sometimes you have to be Kenny Rogers.

You have to Kenny Rogers the heck out of an aspect of your life.

And that can be a gamble.

But knowing when to fold 'em. When to hold 'em. When to walk away. And when to run, is how you be Kenny Rogers successfully.

And sometimes you have to be Kenny Rogers about something. You have no choice.

The time for me to be Kenny Rogers is NOW and that "something" I mentioned earlier is my vast collection of things I quite like.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE DAY 2014: THE CLIP SHOW

We hadn't really planned on doing anything for MOTU Day this year. Never say never.

FOR THOSE WHO CAME IN LATE.......

MOTU Day is April 28th or so it was decreed back in 1987 by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

He might not have meant for anybody to celebrate it in 1988 or ever again, but it's still an absolute fact.

This actually happened.

It doesn't matter that it was created for the sole purpose of promoting the POWER TOUR that was running through LA at the time - if it was good enough for Mayor Tom Bradley and the fine people of Los Angeles, it's good enough for you.

MOTU has an actual day. (See: Los Angeles Times Article April 23rd, 1987 to read it transcribed in print)

So it was declared, so it shall be done. Forever and ever.  He-men.

The oversized He-man and Skeletor heads in this pic are actually vintage pencil toppers, in case you didn't already know. I just shoved them on top of their Classics counterparts. 'Cause I'm an artist.

SPOTLIGHT ON: E.A. HORDACUS & DARK RIDER by KABOOM TOYS

Geldor, E.A. Hordacus and your pal, Hoardax.

It's a great pleasure to be back again to spotlight more fantastic Toy Artists from around the globe.

This is the final installment of what has been a quartet of specifically focused Hoard World Spotlight Features.

The previous spotlights (in case you missed them) were:

• Luke Toywalker & Pablo Perra's Wrestlers Of The Universe. 
• Ryan Hall's 3-D Paper Toy Art pieces. 
• Eric Nilla & Wolf Voigt's M.U.S.C.L.E.S. of the Universe.

VALENTINE'S DAY featuring EXCLUSIVE tips from TV's Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame.

Welcome to Valentine's Day on Hoard World - the only blog that is 99.1% pure...ROMANCE.

Last year, that jerk Hoardax gave you the Top 5 Valentine's Day Tips of All Time.

Well, I'm here to tell you - his romance was inferior.

This is the new shizz.

Let's cook.

NEW ITEMS AVAILABLE TO BUY AT THE HOARD STORE: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE! SPIDER-MAN! MARVEL LEGENDS! WALKING DEAD!

That one time I met Errol Flynn's son and MR. T's dad.

Oh hey.

Didn't see you there. It's your old pal Hoardax.

You remember me, right? Hordak's nice twin brother? Blogger? Ebay Store proprietor?

Anyway, I listed some awesome shizz over at the Hoard Store.

I don't mention stuff like this as much as I should because I'm too busy dream casting the upcoming Masters Of The Universe live action film or spotlighting awesome 3-D Paper Toy Art or filming Battle Cat doing stuff like this.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR HOARD WORLDERS!

Happy New Year for whenever it's happening to you!

As you can see, It's happening on Hoard World right now!

Thanks for Hoard Worlding with me in 2013.

All the best to everybody in 2014!

yr pal,

HOARDAX.

"Greetings True He-Believer!
I was just testing out this Battletastic Battle Armour of yours!
From now on....MAKE MINE MOTU!"
Also....Happy 91st Birthday to STAN LEE aka STANDOR.

GUEST COLUMN: TOP 5 ACTION FIGURE LINES WITH AWESOME ARTICULATION by DOOMKICK.COM!

All photos taken and text written in this guest spot by Jesse Chagnon.

This is a guest article by prolific toy review site DOOM KICK! Thanks for getting on board The Hoard Dr. Rampageo!

ASK HOARDAX - ROUND ONE

So many questions. So many answers. So little time. So much to say.

Regular readers of the Hoard World Facey B may remember a new segment instituted a few weeks ago entitled ASK HOARDAX.

For those who came in late, this was a new forum where you could ask ME anything you like about anything you like! Whether it be hoarding related, cooking tips or relationship advice - I'm ready to believe you!*

This was originally supposed to be a weekly occurrence on Facey B, but during early experiments I decided that, if anything, it should instead exist as ongoing semi-regular rounds, similar in format (if not in content) to something like ASK MATTY.

I open up the floor, you guys submit the questions and  then everything is collated into a lovely, more in-depth blog post right here on Hoard World for all to see!

And here we are. So, let's begin shall we? Round One of Ask Hoardax.............

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE DAY!

This is how Trap Jaw and Fang Man celebrated MOTU Day this year.

I bet you've been crossing off dates on your wall calendar, counting down the sleeps and waiting feverishly in anticipation while looking at a clock. I bet you thought the day would never arrive. Well, it finally has and that time is NOW.

It's Masters Of The Universe Day!

I know there's three or four of you out there that are wondering what MOTU Day is? That's ok. Don't be alarmed, embarrassed or even ashamed of yourself. We're all friends here. Theoretically.

MOTU Day is April 28th or so it was decreed back in 1987 by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. He might not have meant for anybody to celebrate it in 1988 or ever again, but it's still an absolute fact. This actually happened. It doesn't matter that it was created for the sole purpose of promoting the POWER TOUR that was running through LA at the time - if it was good enough for Mayor Tom Bradley and the fine people of Los Angeles, it's good enough for you.  MOTU has an actual day. (See: Los Angeles Times Article April 23rd, 1987 to read it transcribed in print)

So it was declared, so it shall be done. Forever and ever.  He-men.

But what are you supposed to do on Masters Of The Universe Day?

I guess that's up to you.

Picture by DOOMKICK.

There were some people out there who did the only thing any right-minded MOTU FAN could summon up the energy to do. They BLOGGED. Oh, how they blogged. They blogged the Stinkor out of it.

History would forever remember them from that day forth as
The Magnificent Seven

...people what done blogs about MOTU on April 28th 2013 and stuff.

Each site has special MOTU surprises for all those playing along at home. It's a veritable treasure trove of content you will almost definitely enjoy:

ItsAllTrue.net talk about He-man. All of the He-man. It's quite good. You should read it after you read this. The fine folk at DoomKick (who had the bright idea of reviving MOTU Day for the people and spearheaded this cross-over) have done not ONE but three MOTUC reviews covering Skeletor, Battle Armor Skeletor and Snake Face (whom I still haven't received in the mail yet because I live off-planet). Preternia give Fang Man a going over with some fantastic pics. Battlegrip has more MOTU-related content than you can poke a Power Sword at and The Epic Review takes a walk down memory lane with their Top 5 MOTU-related memories! I also have it on good authority that the infamous Poe Ghostal is taking a long, hard look at Jitsu.

But what about lil' ol' me?

How did Hoard World spend MOTU Day? Great question. Glad you asked.

EXCLUSIVE: VINTAGE AUSTRALIAN TOY CATALOGUES FROM THE 80s AND 90s!

1985 Masters Of The Universe Competition found in an Australian Magazine
(not 100% sure which one, but it has been narrowed down to either TV WEEK, WOMAN'S WEEKLY or NEW IDEA)
I wonder who won the Masters Of The Universe SUPER 550 Competition? Was it YOU?

Greetings Hoard Worlders!

Earlier this week, one of your fellow Hoard Worlders (Mr. Brendan Ryan) approached me with some rare scans from his personal archives!

Many of them, I have never seen before (in real life or online) but a lot I do vaguely recall from my own childhood.

Nevertheless, I couldn't possibly keep them to myself and with Brendan's blessing they have been released back into the loving eyes of the viewing public.

This is all very exciting and a little bit of a Hoard World Exclusive since I have had difficulty locating ANY of these elsewhere.

Never-before-seen Toy Catalogues? Well, not quite. But it's been a long time since anyone's seen these.

Let's begin, shall we? I have such sights to show you.

TOP 5 VALENTINE'S DAY TIPS OF ALL TIME!

Hoardax's Online Dating Profile 

NAME: Harold H. Hoardax

OCCUPATION: Overlord/Part-time eBay seller

AGE: You don't wanna know.

SEX: See Above.

LOCATION: Hoard World.

LOOKING FOR: Love in all the wrong places. 

LIKES

Hoarding

Plastic Things

Hoarding Plastic Things

DISLIKES

My brother Hordak

Going outside

Dust.

Valentine's Day. 

Love it or hate it - you can't escape it. 

Sadly, even Hoard World isn't safe.

And as it turns out there's a whole 'nother side to Hoard World that you ain't seen before.

I may not be able to write a dating profile to save my plastic behind but I know what love is.

I present to you now:

HOARDAX'S BEST EVER VALENTINE'S DAY ADVICE.

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM HOARD WORLD!

Everybody loves LOG from Blammo! for Hoardsmas.
It's Big! It's Heavy! It's Wood! It's LOG! LOG! It's better than bad, it's good!
(The only LOG commercial I could find on YouTube was German. Just replace the word "Klotz" with "LOG" and it's pretty much the same. Unless you're German, in which case...as you were.)