Mezco Lion-O with Snarf

http://news.toyark.com/2015/12/11/mezco-mega-scale-thundercats-lion-o-snarf-184833

From Toyark:

" Big Bad Toy Store and Entertainment Earth have both put up pre-orders for a Mezco Mega Scale Thundercats Lion-O reissue. However, instead of being a standard reissue, the figure will include Snarf. Originally, the Snarf was available with Cheetara as a San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive. More info:

This mega-scale figure measures over 20 inches tall from the tip of his upraised, extended sword to the soles of his Thunderian boots.

Featuring 7 points of articulation this mega figure is superbly detailed, perfectly capturing not only the iconic look of Lion-O as he appeared in the classic television series, but the essence, of Lion-O as he proudly raises the mystic Sword of Omens towards the heavens and roars out “Thundercats, Ho!” He comes complete with his impressive Claw Shield and a removable mystic Sword Of Omens.

Snarf, the comedic yet fiercely loyal sidekick of the ThunderCats, stands a snarfing 5 inches tall (in scale with the rest of Mezco’s ThunderCats Series) and snarfs a snarfity snarf snarf.

Lion-O and Snarf are packaged in a collector friendly window box that allows them to be displayed while remaining Mint In Box. "

Scheduled to be released between April and June 2016.

"Vivek, post: 103761, member: 495" said:

http://news.toyark.com/2015/12/11/mezco-mega-scale-thundercats-lion-o-snarf-184833

From Toyark:

" Big Bad Toy Store and Entertainment Earth have both put up pre-orders for a Mezco Mega Scale Thundercats Lion-O reissue. However, instead of being a standard reissue, the figure will include Snarf. Originally, the Snarf was available with Cheetara as a San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive. More info:

This mega-scale figure measures over 20 inches tall from the tip of his upraised, extended sword to the soles of his Thunderian boots.

Featuring 7 points of articulation this mega figure is superbly detailed, perfectly capturing not only the iconic look of Lion-O as he appeared in the classic television series, but the essence, of Lion-O as he proudly raises the mystic Sword of Omens towards the heavens and roars out “Thundercats, Ho!” He comes complete with his impressive Claw Shield and a removable mystic Sword Of Omens.

Snarf, the comedic yet fiercely loyal sidekick of the ThunderCats, stands a snarfing 5 inches tall (in scale with the rest of Mezco’s ThunderCats Series) and snarfs a snarfity snarf snarf.

Lion-O and Snarf are packaged in a collector friendly window box that allows them to be displayed while remaining Mint In Box. "

Scheduled to be released between April and June 2016.

Those two have always been inseparable. :)

I was just headed over here to post this.

I would like to order the Lion-O/Snarf combo as I never did get Snarf but I am not sure I can spend the money when I already have Lion-O and there do not appear to be any differences.

It looks like it will be a decent amount cheaper to order Tygra from BBTS as well (as opposed to Mezco's site) when you take into account shipping.

Not his finest sculpting work. Usually Jean St Jean is amazing but I really think he failed to capture a good likeness on both of these. Lion-O especially. The hair style really does not look right.

"Mark M, post: 103770, member: 5058" said:

Not his finest sculpting work. Usually Jean St Jean is amazing but I really think he failed to capture a good likeness on both of these. Lion-O especially. The hair style really does not look right.

I agree, and I find it kinda strange and a little saddening as well. These days there are so many super-talented sculptors and designers working for big companies who have state of the art equipment and technology at their disposal. They have captured the exact likenesses of actors like Robert Downey Jr, Chirs Hemsworth, Henry Cavill, Harrison Ford etc. But when it comes to the ThunderCats, their efforts appear sub-par. Perhaps they did not grow up watching the cartoons and are just going by their instincts.

So far none of the recent Lion-O statues made by various companies has blown my skirt up. Of course that could be because I don't actually wear skirts! LOL! ;)

Granted it is harder making a 3-D representation of a 2-D character but when you look at the work others have done in various other lines in even smaller scales, messing up on this scale is inexcusable. Just look at DC Collectibles Animated Batman line.
As I said his other work is amazing so maybe this is a fault of the factory or maybe Mezco just okaying it without being too critical. Even talented artists make mistakes. Just look at the 4H Classics Lion-O prototype. ;)

"Mark M, post: 103782, member: 5058" said:

Granted it is harder making a 3-D representation of a 2-D character but when you look at the work others have done in various other lines in even smaller scales, messing up on this scale is inexcusable. Just look at DC Collectibles Animated Batman line.
As I said his other work is amazing so maybe this is a fault of the factory or maybe Mezco just okaying it without being too critical. Even talented artists make mistakes. Just look at the 4H Classics Lion-O prototype. ;)

Exactly. I have seen some fantastic statues based on movie characters, like those from the Marvel movies, Terminator movies etc. and they all look so life-like.

I think I know the problem. These sculptors, as talented as they are, have mostly been trained in sculpting real-life humans. Thus they can capture actors' likenesses perfectly as well as their proportions. But when it comes to sculpting cartoon characters, instead of making them look like their cartoon appearance, the sculptors end up making them look more realistic and "human". So basically they sculpt a muscular human base, with human proportions and facial features, and then just add Lion-O's hair and costume to that base. That is why most of these statues look like cosplayers, the ones you'd find at Comic Conventions! :)

I think He-Man has suffered the same fate. There are some truly hideous He-Man statues out there made by renowned companies.

I agree 100%. The proportions do not look right. Another problem I think is the way artist have freedom to do their own interpretation and things with characters. But I think with a property like Thundercats they really should stick more to the source material, the original cartoon.
A prime example of a sculpt going wrong is the Star Wars Black Series 6" Darth Vader. The face mask proportions are all off and really spoil the look of the figure. Several reviews of the figure have stated how it looks more like someone a cosplay costume than the actual Darth Vader.

"Mark M, post: 103784, member: 5058" said:

I agree 100%. The proportions do not look right. Another problem I think is the way artist have freedom to do their own interpretation and things with characters. But I think with a property like Thundercats they really should stick more to the source material, the original cartoon.
A prime example of a sculpt going wrong is the Star Wars Black Series 6" Darth Vader. The face mask proportions are all off and really spoil the look of the figure. Several reviews of the figure have stated how it looks more like someone a cosplay costume than the actual Darth Vader.

You are right. These days sculptors get A LOT of artistic freedom, which if unchecked often results in very strange creations! The body fur and fangs on Lion-O statues are just some of the result of such freedom.

I checked out pics of the Darth Vader figure that you mentioned and there is definitely something off about him. In some photos he looks like he has no neck! :00

Apart from "ThunderCats", I have always been a huge fan of the original "Jaws" movie and over the years I have seen hundreds of statues and figures and toys of Bruce the Great White Shark. Unfortunately, NONE of them look like the shark in the movie. They are all generic sharks. Until recently I came across a Bruce maquette that captured the likeness of the movie shark brilliantly. I read the sculptor's interview and this is what he said:

[INDENT]" I believe that the two main areas that must be addressed in order to replicate the Bruce sharks perfectly are that of proper resource material study, and then sticking with what the reference materials measure out as and never guessing or going with some artistic flair. What many artists and fans do not understand at all is the simple nature of these props. They think “shark” and superimpose their will on their model and that is the basis for nearly every attempt at modeling Bruce coming out looking like a great shark, but not like Bruce. My scale Bruce shark model was going to be different. Mine would reflect the actual proportions, with carefully measured angles and curves that make Bruce look like just like Bruce. In a nutshell, I did back then what laser scanners do for people now. Even if I don’t believe my eyes, I will still convey those curves and angles and measurements. "
[/INDENT]
I think that if sculptors approached ThunderCats figures with this mindset, we would get some awesome statues. It's still not too late! :)

"Wilycub, post: 103785, member: 25043" said:

You are right. These days sculptors get A LOT of artistic freedom, which if unchecked often results in very strange creations! The body fur and fangs on Lion-O statues are just some of the result of such freedom.

I checked out pics of the Darth Vader figure that you mentioned and there is definitely something off about him. In some photos he looks like he has no neck! :00

Apart from "ThunderCats", I have always been a huge fan of the original "Jaws" movie and over the years I have seen hundreds of statues and figures and toys of Bruce the Great White Shark. Unfortunately, NONE of them look like the shark in the movie. They are all generic sharks. Until recently I came across a Bruce maquette that captured the likeness of the movie shark brilliantly. I read the sculptor's interview and this is what he said:

[INDENT]" I believe that the two main areas that must be addressed in order to replicate the Bruce sharks perfectly are that of proper resource material study, and then sticking with what the reference materials measure out as and never guessing or going with some artistic flair. What many artists and fans do not understand at all is the simple nature of these props. They think “shark” and superimpose their will on their model and that is the basis for nearly every attempt at modeling Bruce coming out looking like a great shark, but not like Bruce. My scale Bruce shark model was going to be different. Mine would reflect the actual proportions, with carefully measured angles and curves that make Bruce look like just like Bruce. In a nutshell, I did back then what laser scanners do for people now. Even if I don’t believe my eyes, I will still convey those curves and angles and measurements. "
[/INDENT]
I think that if sculptors approached ThunderCats figures with this mindset, we would get some awesome statues. It's still not too late! :)

Agreed but I still wouldn't buy them LOL, I don't collect statues. What is the deal with people putting hair on Lion-O. He-Man was a Barbarian, you don't see them putting body hair on him!
The main problem with Vader is the mask proportions. He has a neck but the mask and helmet really hide it. They really shouldn't have bothered making the mask and helmet removable.
I completely get what the artist is saying about sticking to the source material. As an artist my main area is portraits and figures and I know how important it is to capture a perfect likeness of the subject.
BTW did you know that the pier set used in Jaws was also used as the pier for Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote'.

"Mark M, post: 103789, member: 5058" said:

BTW did you know that the pier set used in Jaws was also used as the pier for Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote'.

I did NOT know that! And I pride myself on my knowledge of everything relating to "Jaws". I guess no one can know everything. :) Thanks for sharing that bit of trivia. I'm still waiting to watch "The Shark is Still Working", the documentary about the making of Jaws.

"Wilycub, post: 103792, member: 25043" said:

I did NOT know that! And I pride myself on my knowledge of everything relating to "Jaws". I guess no one can know everything. :) Thanks for sharing that bit of trivia. I'm still waiting to watch "The Shark is Still Working", the documentary about the making of Jaws.

Jaws is a great movie. I only found out a few months ago as some friends visited Universal Studios. They missed out on making a great episode of 'Murder, She Wrote' where one of the residents was killing people and blaming it on the shark. ;) I have been watching to many murder mysteries and Scooby Doo LOL.
Have you seen the Funko ReAction Jaws toys? They are designed to look like vintage 3.75" figures from the 80's like Star Wars etc.

"Mark M, post: 103797, member: 5058" said:

Have you seen the Funko ReAction Jaws toys? They are designed to look like vintage 3.75" figures from the 80's like Star Wars etc.

These ones?

Considering the fact that they were going for the look similar to the original Star Wars toys, I think they did a pretty good job. The likenesses are very good, except for the thick-rimmed glasses that Brody and Hooper are wearing. They look like swimming goggles! ;)

Again I'm not too pleased with the shark. Still doesn't look like Bruce. Should have been more like these:

I really like the MezCo figures. Although Lion-O is not as accurate as Panthro or Cheetara, I still think it's a great looking figure. I did a short review of it here. I love the Snarf figure even more. He looks fantastic and very "animated". I have the excl. Cheetara & Snarf set. It's great but Snarf isn't visible in box. It would be great if this new set rectified that with this set. I definitly will be getting this 2 pack [if the price a half decent] :)

"Wilycub, post: 103816, member: 25043" said:

These ones?

Considering the fact that they were going for the look similar to the original Star Wars toys, I think they did a pretty good job. The likenesses are very good, except for the thick-rimmed glasses that Brody and Hooper are wearing. They look like swimming goggles! ;)

Again I'm not too pleased with the shark. Still doesn't look like Bruce. Should have been more like these:

That does look awesome.

"thunderianroyalguard, post: 103818, member: 524" said:

I really like the MezCo figures. Although Lion-O is not as accurate as Panthro or Cheetara, I still think it's a great looking figure. I did a short review of it here. I love the Snarf figure even more. He looks fantastic and very "animated". I have the excl. Cheetara & Snarf set. It's great but Snarf isn't visible in box. It would be great if this new set rectified that with this set. I definitly will be getting this 2 pack [if the price a half decent] :)

Saying Snarf looks animated is exactly my problem with him. The others are going for so much detail yet Snarf is very smooth and cartoonish looking.

"thunderianroyalguard, post: 103818, member: 524" said:

I really like the MezCo figures. Although Lion-O is not as accurate as Panthro or Cheetara, I still think it's a great looking figure. I did a short review of it here. I love the Snarf figure even more. He looks fantastic and very "animated". I have the excl. Cheetara & Snarf set. It's great but Snarf isn't visible in box. It would be great if this new set rectified that with this set. I definitly will be getting this 2 pack [if the price a half decent] :)

The Mezco Cheetara is definitely a very good figure no questions! I think they managed to capture her likeness pretty well while still keeping the figure feminine and superheroic as well. Sometimes sculptors tend to go overboard with muscles or "female body parts" when sculpting superheroines. ;) In comparison the cancelled "Pop Culture Shock" Cheetara statue was horrendous!!! :confused

I felt that the Mezco Lion-O figure, apart from not capturing the likeness of Lion-O, was too lean. His body structure looked more like Spiderman or Daredevil. ThunderCats were more buff and muscular, like bodybuilders, not gymnasts. Which is why I wasn't too impressed with the Mezco Panthro was well. I would have liked him to be a bit more buff as well.

The Mezco Snarf and Ma-Mutt are very nice though! Which makes me wonder, why did the LJN Ma-Mutt look SO different from the cartoon version?? :00 I think the sculpture is pretty good, it just lacks the coloring of the cartoon Ma-Mutt. Maybe some talented customizer here could do a re-paint of that figure. Would love to see that! :)

"Wilycub, post: 103822, member: 25043" said:

I felt that the Mezco Lion-O figure, apart from not capturing the likeness of Lion-O, was too lean. His body structure looked more like Spiderman or Daredevil. ThunderCats were more buff and muscular, like bodybuilders, not gymnasts. Which is why I wasn't too impressed with the Mezco Panthro was well. I would have liked him to be a bit more buff as well.

I agree 100% Wilycub.

I don't believe that Mezco intended to just use the look from the TV show. It was an artistic take using the show and comic book elements. This is very evident by the claw shield. In fact, I'm surprised the new Mattel figures are using the furry shield instead of the gold shiny one. That's not accurate to the show, if you want to get picky.

I like the mix of styles Mezco used. They feel more like artistic tributes to the characters as opposed to just toys.

"LeoTigris, post: 103991, member: 25783" said:

I don't believe that Mezco intended to just use the look from the TV show. It was an artistic take using the show and comic book elements. This is very evident by the claw shield. In fact, I'm surprised the new Mattel figures are using the furry shield instead of the gold shiny one. That's not accurate to the show, if you want to get picky.

I like the mix of styles Mezco used. They feel more like artistic tributes to the characters as opposed to just toys.

The less said about the comics the better. ;)