Vintage toy inspired heads for Ultimates

The 1980's LJN ThunderCats line still remains the most iconic. While we all grew up with the cartoon, the toys were also a big part of many childhoods. Who would be interested in the Four Horsemen styling alternate heads in Ultimates to resemble the LJN toys interpretation? Perhaps this could be done in lieu of the open mouthed extra heads.

I'm thinking along the lines of what they are already doing for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line and had done at times with Masters of the Universe Classics, such as with the 200x heads. I realize some ThunderCats figures may look silly with those old toy design heads, but I think some may look cool with some tweaking.

Can I have ones that look like the show first?

I think to do LJN inspired they would need a full alternate figure with a different paint scheme and new head.

Wow now THIS is something I never thought of. I agree with Booshman that I’d like the cartoon referenced heads first (as we currently are getting), but this is an idea I never even thought of. Inspiring! TMNT Ultimates! April is a prime example. I know there are many who dislike her interpretation and made no secret about it, but I think that head is fantastic. That’s a perfect update to me personally if the vintage toy. I was very worried before I saw it as to what she’d look like, but now that I’ve seen her she’s impressive. If they can do that for April, I believe that they can pull it off for TC. Again though, their coloring would need to match the vintage toys, so while the bodies are already there, a new color scheme is necessary.

"Sebastiaan, post: 131079, member: 25673" said:

I agree with Booshman that I’d like the cartoon referenced heads first (as we currently are getting)

I really think the heads we are getting are hit and miss when it comes to show accuracy, hence my comment. Slithe for example, other than colouring looks spot on, others like Lion-O not so much. That's why we have reviewers like Toy Bro trying to tell us these are interpretations of the characters and the intent of the line is not to be show accurate.

Not interested in toy heads on these figures as they stand now and I agree they did not commit to 100% show accuracy which is fine but kind of frustrating at the same time as some characters work closer than others. But that's a problem with what Mattel started in the first place - using Master of the Universe bodies. Seeing what Super7 has turned this into and what they are doing with other lines, they really should have started over from scratch instead of reissuing the Mattel figures which were flawed at the core.

"Booshman, post: 131080, member: 25641" said:

I really think the heads we are getting are hit and miss when it comes to show accuracy, hence my comment. Slithe for example, other than colouring looks spot on, others like Lion-O not so much. That's why we have reviewers like Toy Bro trying to tell us these are interpretations of the characters and the intent of the line is not to be show accurate.

I see what you mean; sorry I misunderstood it partially. I’m happy with the heads as they are now. To me they’re what MOTU Classics is/was vs Club Grayskull in terms of style. But perhaps a tad in between.

"Sebastiaan, post: 131079, member: 25673" said:

Wow now THIS is something I never thought of. I agree with Booshman that I’d like the cartoon referenced heads first (as we currently are getting), but this is an idea I never even thought of. Inspiring! TMNT Ultimates! April is a prime example. I know there are many who dislike her interpretation and made no secret about it, but I think that head is fantastic. That’s a perfect update to me personally if the vintage toy. I was very worried before I saw it as to what she’d look like, but now that I’ve seen her she’s impressive. If they can do that for April, I believe that they can pull it off for TC. Again though, their coloring would need to match the vintage toys, so while the bodies are already there, a new color scheme is necessary.

Would you mind asking Brian about this in a future Q&A?

"Booshman, post: 131080, member: 25641" said:

I really think the heads we are getting are hit and miss when it comes to show accuracy, hence my comment. Slithe for example, other than colouring looks spot on, others like Lion-O not so much. That's why we have reviewers like Toy Bro trying to tell us these are interpretations of the characters and the intent of the line is not to be show accurate.

"Sebastiaan, post: 131090, member: 25673" said:

I see what you mean; sorry I misunderstood it partially. I’m happy with the heads as they are now. To me they’re what MOTU Classics is/was vs Club Grayskull in terms of style. But perhaps a tad in between.

Sebastiaan is right, these aren't supposed to be 100% cartoon accurate like the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Club Grayskull line. They're supposed to be the ultimate additions, similar to MOTUC where they go through the Four Horsemen in the "Classicizer" machine merging the best well known interpretations in a more modern look. This is personally what I want, but realistically, the cartoon is the top interpretation for the brand and what we most identify with, so it is and should be the dominant look and feel. I have to admit I wasn't big on the 4H's first prototype of Lion-O at SDCC 2015 as it didn't look much like the cartoon face: http://thundercats.org/2015/07/mattels-thundercats-reveals-sdcc-2015/

"Cheetoro, post: 131083, member: 26134" said:

Not interested in toy heads on these figures as they stand now and I agree they did not commit to 100% show accuracy which is fine but kind of frustrating at the same time as some characters work closer than others. But that's a problem with what Mattel started in the first place - using Master of the Universe bodies. Seeing what Super7 has turned this into and what they are doing with other lines, they really should have started over from scratch instead of reissuing the Mattel figures which were flawed at the core.

You make a case for a separate fully cartoon accurate line.

I personally prefer the ultimate style to fit in with other lines I already have. It's a dream come true to now have ThunderCats, Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan, Toxic Avenger, and who knows what else in the same scale. I am an unapologetic Four Horsemen fan, so forgive me. I have a feeling they could pull off some cool LJN inspired toy heads in Ultimates.

Yes, good suggestion! Just missed this round by a few days but we’ll be catching up again after W4 is revealed. Now I have two great suggestions.

I like the idea of LJN inspired heads but I would like show accurate heads even more if that wouldn't look too weird. Lion-o's face has bothered me from the very beginning, still does, just doesn't quite look like Lion-o to me. I'm concerned about Tygra too, he just doesn't look right. I hate to complain or nit pick because I am so thankful this line exists at all. However, I have to be honest about some of my criticisms.

Side note....I've been imagining what an "animation accurate" Thundercats line from NECA could look like and I think that is something I would really like to see.