Mumm-Ra & the Mutants - Mumm-Ra The Ever-Living

Mumm-Ra is the main antagonist of the ThunderCats and, like Skeletor, a powerful sorceror. The Thundercats are the only thing standing in his way of ruling Third Earth with evil. His normal appearance is that of a weakened, withered mummy. He serves as the undead focus for the Ancient Spirits of Evil—four god-like entities of nearly unlimited power, whose influence is limited to the Black Pyramids, so that they can only interact with the outside world through Mumm-Ra. They provide him with immortality, as granted through his sarcophagus in exchange for perpetual servitude. He can call upon them to alter his form by reciting the following incantation: "Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!", transforming him into a tall, muscular fiend.

A recent DC comic miniseries saw the heroes and fiends of Third Earth crossover into Eternia, with Skeletor and Mumm-Ra joining forces and the Thundercats teaming up with the Heroic warriors to defeat them. Hence, I'm feeling there is enough basis to include them into this project and the powered up Mumm-Ra is the first one to join.

The model was a limited edition 'not' Mumm-Ra tribute, which was further converted by my friend Fancagne Didier to perfectly match the original cartoon's fiend's appearance. Being a big fellow, he has a larger base than the other figures.

To illustrate the size, and as I haven't painted any Thundercats yet, Mumm-Ra is show here with another great evil, King Hiss.

He may seem big, but that is the appropriate size as Mumm-Ra, in his Ever-Living form, was much larger than anyone else, which as a kid bothered me immensely since I had gotten used to MotU's everyone-comes-from-the-same-mould approach.

Cosmic Enforcers - Tekno, with Claw Arm

The Cosmic Enforcer Tekno is a cyborg, having different types of mechanical arms at his disposal, much like the fiend Trap Jaw. Here, he is shown with his Claw Arm.

Claw against claw!

Your swords are no match for my steel claw!

With Tekno having no fixed background in MotU canon, I'm still undecided whether to make him a full-fledged character or to use him as an armybuilder type grunt, to give some low level warriors to this faction, like with the Eternos guards and Skeletor's various cannon fodder. There is a certain simplicity to the Tekno uniform when compared to other Cosmic Enforcers like Zodac or Strobo.

Both my versions of Tekno so far

Cosmic Enforcers - Tekno, with Laser Arm

The Cosmic Enforcers are neutral characters, who are guardians tasked with maintaining balance in the Universe. They participate little in conflict but can aid either the heroic or evil sides in their hour of need. The most famous of their kind is Zodac/Zodak, but there are others that exist in canon and beyond. Tekno is one such Enforcer. Equipped with an interchangeable mechanical arm, like Trapjaw, Tekno appears to be a cyborg.

The model is a conversion, based on a privately commissioned model with the addition of a Quest Miniatures Trapjaw arm. For the base colour, grey was chosen to reflect the neutral stance of this faction.

Tekno is a bit of an unusual character in that, although adopted by many fans as another Cosmic Enforcer, he wasn't a real MotU character. In the early 2000s, Argentina toy company Tops Toys released a range of action figures using the vintage MotU moulds, combining and recolouring parts to create all new characters under the Fuerza-T label. Tekno, was one such characters, combining parts from, among others, Zodak, Trapjaw, Man-E-Faces and standard furred boots, with the addition of a smooth version of the furry trunks.

Packaging of the action figure and fantastic fan art by Mike Bock:

You do not belong here, Anti-He-Man!

The balance must be preserved! Turn back or perish, minions of Skeletor!

 

Heroic Warriors - Baracus, Heroic Pitier of Fools

Baracus is a former Eternos Guard turned mercenary after getting falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit. With his record for insubordination and starting (and finishing) tavern brawls, he didn't stick around to try and prove his innocence. His heroic nature prevailed though and in time, he crossed path with the Heroic Warriors and joined them on more than one occasion. Baracus goes into battle with his battle armour, golden fist glove and Etherian lasergun. Being the flamboyant character that he is, it is often said he has more bling on him than even King Randor. Only a fool would say that to his face though, as most sensible people know he does not suffer fools lightly...

Baracus, the Heroic Pitier of Fools

I based the character on the Mr. T MotU & WWe crossover figure, with some changes to accomodate what I had at my disposal. I opted to include some influences from his A-Team alter ago, notably the golden chains and the gun. I also took his name from there, after considering other options like Pitior or Warrior T. The figure is a conversion using parts from a Jitsu (body), a Fisto (fist), a Brightmoon Guard (gun) and a head from a Hardcore Miniatures figure. I'm relatively happy with how he came out.

The inspiration for the figure

Twin Fists of Power!

I pity the fool who works for Skeletor!

I pity the fool who gives black people a bad name!

I pity the tin can that's about to feel the crunch of my fist!

I pity the fool who works for a pitance!

I pity the fool who goes up against He-Man!

Heroic Warriors - Fisto

One of the classic Heroic Warriors, Fisto is a large and muscular warrior with reddish-brown hair and a manly beard, armed with a large metal fist and a sword. The large fist seems to be a prosthetic attachment after a sustained injury in his youth and is able to smash through rock and other hard surfaces. It has been suggested in some continuities that he is the brother of Man-At-Arms and the biological father of Teela.

The figure combines elements from his Filmation design (armour, belt, fist) and from the toy design (sword, presence of a wrist-protection, although rendered in the Filmation style).

Prepare to feel my fist, tin man!

You're not leaving here until you tell me who is my real father!