Kinetiquettes Lion-O vs. Mumm-Ra Statue Diorama

As much as I will always love the classic designs, I do have to acknowledge that Lion-O's costume in the 80s cartoon is goofy as hell and doesn't translate well into 3D statues and toys. I think some redesign is wise, and I'm really impressed at how Kinetiquettes has listened to feedback and taken it on board.

I really liked the nod to the 2011 cartoon with the shoulder plate too.

Tim, your thoughts on creating a diorama for a 3D statue based rendering of that iconic poster art ... if anybody ever does that well, I will not be able to give them my money fast enough.

First I wanna say thanks for actually being in the forums and interacting with the fans....now I think the re-inventing the wheel approach has already proved to fail with fans....like someone else already mentioned...there's nothing to tie this design to....no cartoon, comic....I want classic Thundercats.....don't really care for this mix n match design....No need to reinvent them....it was already attempted with the new cartoon and it failed....just produce the classic look please

Kinetiquettes I am going to give you some advice and I hope you listen to it. Save yourself money and trouble and don't attempt this line of statues.
Yes some people said they prefer your designs to the original and the 2011 series but they are in the minority, you can't bank on them buying it and it being a success when it doesn't appeal to the vast majority of fans. We already have far to many unfinished lines of Thundercats statues on the market and they did not sell that well and they were all based on the iconic looks so I can't imagine your fan-made/designed statues selling any better.
Also please don't rely on the approval of WB, they have made it pretty clear the last several years they don't really care about Thundercats. They approved the 2011 series and Bandai toys and look how that turned out for all involved....

Guys, guys...

They've already said they're gonna focus on a classic style first for this line. You're beating a dead horse.

Also on the facebook posts the people who like the design and who don't are pretty 50/50. Not really a minority.

"balgus82, post: 99542" said:

Guys, guys...

They've already said they're gonna focus on a classic style first for this line. You're beating a dead horse.

Also on the facebook posts the people who like the design and who don't are pretty 50/50. Not really a minority.

The 50/50 crowd that commented on Facebook do no represent the entire Thundercats fan base so yeah they are a minority.

Whether they do their design or the classics design first makes no difference to me either way as I don't collect statues so I wont by buying them.

"Mark / Grizzlor, post: 99537" said:

As much as I will always love the classic designs, I do have to acknowledge that Lion-O's costume in the 80s cartoon is goofy as hell and doesn't translate well into 3D statues and toys. I think some redesign is wise, and I'm really impressed at how Kinetiquettes has listened to feedback and taken it on board.

I really liked the nod to the 2011 cartoon with the shoulder plate too.

Tim, your thoughts on creating a diorama for a 3D statue based rendering of that iconic poster art ... if anybody ever does that well, I will not be able to give them my money fast enough.

I too am impressed with the interaction. I've been collecting ThunderCats for years including all statue lines and even pre-ordered the ill-fated PCS Tygra and Icon Heroes Mumm-Ra. I still have the refund check IH sent! I can understand PCS failure (size and styling issues) but Icon Heroes really started getting into the groove before everything fell apart. The unreleased Mummy Mumm-ra still haunts me. If Kinetiquettes can pick up where IH left off with epic dioramas they could have a hit on their hands. I just pray this line doesn't suffer the Tygra curse that IH and PCS suffered. I'm also hoping fans buy Mezco's Tygra so they can continue to pursue the universally popular action figure realm and break the curse!

I don't completely dismiss tweaks or complete redesigns but as other members have posted a redesign has to be rooted in some lore or it's a tough sell. So I'm happy to see that Kinetiquettes has that option to pursue both. Just like how PCS gave He-man fans the option to compare Classic, classic-realistic to realistic designs I hoping Kinetiquettes will continue keeping us informed on options so we can get a complete successful line.

I'm also hoping WB has a concerted effort and marketing campaign to celebrate the fall premiere anniversary in September with statues, action figures and additional collectibles. Why Sideshow or some other sword maker hasn't tried releasing a high quality sword of omens replica is beyond me.

And Mark a ThunderCats 3D recreation of the iconic poster art is the ultimate choice for hitting that sensory nostalgic image every child of the 80s has rattling around in their head. Something like that could bridge over non TC collectors. It's as close as you can get in statue form to the brillant opening sequence.

I'd love to see a Sword of Omens replica that's a fusion of the LJN and Rubie's swords, with a dash of 21st-century originality.

"Mark M, post: 99552" said:

The 50/50 crowd that commented on Facebook do no represent the entire Thundercats fan base so yeah they are a minority.

Whether they do their design or the classics design first makes no difference to me either way as I don't collect statues so I wont by buying them.

Unless you've polled the entire ThunderCats fan base you can't say one way or another what is the minority.

I don't really care for the redesign. It's well drawn, but I don't see Lion-O. A re-interpretation without any sort of cartoon/ comic or other thing to tie it to would be a pass for me.

"balgus82, post: 99561" said:

Unless you've polled the entire ThunderCats fan base you can't say one way or another what is the minority.

I know Thndercats hasn't the largest fan base compared to other properties but I would like to think that it is only a minority commenting on Facebook LOL.

"Mark M, post: 99565" said:

I know Thndercats hasn't the largest fan base compared to other properties but I would like to think that it is only a minority commenting on Facebook LOL.

You're not understanding what I'm saying. I'm not saying everyone commenting on FB isn't a minority. I'm saying that you can't say that everyone who likes the concept art is a minority without something to back it up. You're just assuming they are.

Like it or not FB is currently the place that most people have seen this concept and said whether or not they like it, so the 50/50 reaction can be taken as a sample of how a larger group might react.

The only suggestion I have for classic Lion-O is please don't give his face the extreme aggressive look with fangs like in the Wildstrom comics and the PCS statue.

Go with the cartoon look by making his face calm, yet focused and stern without overly angry eyes and face.

"Vivek, post: 99573" said:

The only suggestion I have for classic Lion-O is please don't give his face the extreme aggressive look with fangs like in the Wildstrom comics and the PCS statue.

Go with the cartoon look by making his face calm, yet focused and stern without overly angry eyes and face.

Good suggestion!

In my opinion the Lion-O's costume in the 80s cartoon series needs some changes.

It's nice redesing but I don't like the beard or the long hair.

Merged Post:

"Foundas, post: 99636" said:

In my opinion the Lion-O's costume in the 80s cartoon series needs some changes.

It's nice redesing but I don't like the beard or the long hair.

I will add that if you don't mind.

Lion-O looks a whole lot better this way! :liono

Speaking of designs,...


This is the Mumm-Ra design we did to go along with our Lion-O. Like we mentioned, we are making the pure classic designs our priority for now and back on the drawing board. But we'd love to hear what you think of this :)

Designs are great, but will they make a good transition to an actual toy? That's what always worries me about things like these. Great on paper, but maybe not as great on an actual toy.

"Kinetiquettes, post: 99661" said:

Speaking of designs,...

This is the Mumm-Ra design we did to go along with our Lion-O. Like we mentioned, we are making the pure classic designs our priority for now and back on the drawing board. But we'd love to hear what you think of this :)

I dont really like the Lion-O design, it's a bit boring. The Mumm-Ra looks cool, though the head is a bit to small for my taste. It's a very modern re-design I guess, a mix-n-match of the 80's Mumm-Ra & the 2011 Mumm-Ra, right?



Can I ask WHY you chose to do (yet another) Lion-O and Mumm-Ra first? After the Hard Hero, PopCulture, MezCo, IconHeroes and BanDai Classic and even Funko POP! Lion-O's & Mumm-Ra's, I'd like to see some other characters, the ones we've havent seen since the LJN line. Or even some that werent in that line! All these Lion-O's & Mumm-Ra's are beginning to bore me as a fan AND as collector. I know they are the main hero and villain, but they are not the most interesting. IMO ofcourse :)

"thunderianroyalguard, post: 99664" said:

I dont really like the Lion-O design, it's a bit boring. The Mumm-Ra looks cool, though the head is a bit to small for my taste. It's a very modern re-design I guess, a mix-n-match of the 80's Mumm-Ra & the 2011 Mumm-Ra, right?



Can I ask WHY you chose to do (yet another) Lion-O and Mumm-Ra first? After the Hard Hero, PopCulture, MezCo, IconHeroes and BanDai Classic and even Funko POP! Lion-O's & Mumm-Ra's, I'd like to see some other characters, the ones we've havent seen since the LJN line. Or even some that werent in that line! All these Lion-O's & Mumm-Ra's are beginning to bore me as a fan AND as collector. I know they are the main hero and villain, but they are not the most interesting. IMO ofcourse :)

While we'd love to do the other characters first, we have to start with a bang so people can get into the line. If the first statue is not successful, we can't continue the full line now can we? :)

"Kinetiquettes, post: 99666" said:

While we'd love to do the other characters first, we have to start with a bang so people can get into the line. If the first statue is not successful, we can't continue the full line now can we? :)

Well, that goes without saying, but I think at this point a (well done) Jaga and/or Grune the Destroyer would do better then (another) Lion-O. I do hope these do well, ThunderCats deserves a decent classic line.