Horde Trooper Masters of the Universe Origins Review

Check out this Horde Trooper MOTU Origins review plus a vintage figure comparison plus the red and black Horde Troopers from the Power Con 2021 Evil Horde 4-Pack make an appearance

Summary

The Horde Trooper is another Masters of the Universe unique piece of work. We got a taste of this Horde Trooper sculpt early as the Power Con 2021 red and black Horde Troopers thrust this amazing figure into existence. Given Mattel’s prior history of remaking the Power Con 2020 LOP Beast Man and Mer-Man as single carded figures, it was only a matter of time before we got this mechanical, maniacal evil collapsing robot who enjoyed tormenting the innocent people of Etheria. Horde Troopers are foot soldiers of the evil Horde Empire and are put to great use in numbers. Mainly deployed by Hordak for the occupation of Etheria, the Horde Trooper armies were also used during the Horde’s failed invasion of Eternia. This figure is a fantastic remake of the vintage figure with some major upgrades!

Card Back Art

Aside from the figure, seeing an updated version of the Horde Trooper card backs is truly something special. Dubbed the Evil Mechanical Enforcer of Hordak, these troopers art set on the standard MOTU Origins single carded figure card back with the red meter burst that we all loved in the 1980’s. On the back of the card, you can see the amazing card art that Axel Gimenez illustrated as well as the other figures you can get in the wave. If you haven’t seen our review of Clawful, Terror Claws Skeletor, and Flying Fists He-Man, take a look after you are finished with this one as this wave is absolutely amazing and nostalgic.

I’ve always thought that having Thunder Punch He-Man was odd as the center piece to the art but it makes sense looking at the vintage art (courtesy of the Battle Ram Blog). In a more dynamic battle scene, you can see Thunder Punch He-Man laying waste to the gaggle of Horde Troopers that are ascending on him while Hordak looks on in disgust. I think I am more excited about the possibility of getting a Thunder Punch He-Man down the line but the Origins card art is an updated homage to the vintage scene which essentially shows a different view of TP He-Man hitting the Horde Troopers dead center in the chest, activating the action feature.

Like the vintage card backs that show you how the action features work, the MOTU Origins card is no exception. Simply press the red Horde symbol in the middle of the chest and BAM…the armor bursts right off…or does it? Well, you might have to wait to see a live action review or read more in the Action Feature section.

Head Sculpt

The Horde Trooper’s have an egg shaped head with a raised crest in the middle, giving it some depth and dimension. The face is rather simple looking black and yellow sculpt that looks like an inverted Star Trek logo but it works for a faceless robot of destruction. The head is on a ball joint and it can be raised above the Horde Trooper’s thick collar, that looks a lot like a neck brace.

Chest and Back

The front of the chest armor is intricately designed and the red Horde symbol really stands out from the silver paint. There are sculpted mechanical parts on the front part of the shoulder armor as well as indentations that create a ripple effect as they connect to the chest piece. With shoulder pads being a major style of dress in the 1980’s, I am not surprised that the chest armor reminds me of a point in time where I would love to forget that part of fashion history. Although timelessly immortalized in the sculpt, the Horde Trooper wears the shoulder padded look very well, which makes him look for formidable.

Action Feature

Remember when I said to wait for the armor to come bursting off? Well wait no longer but I am sad to report that the the armor does not burst off like described but upon pushing the red circular part of the Horde symbol, the chest merely unlatches, and you have to pull it down yourself. I think the parts are engineered with a tolerance that is so close the parts end up rubbing together, which prevents the armor from falling down by itself. Although a minor annoyance, the Horde Trooper does look cool all split apart. Once the armor pieces are down, you can get a good look at the inner workings of the Horde Trooper, and you can see the sculpted mechanical parts of the inside that are cast in red.

One thing to not is that the neck on the Horde Trooper is rather large so the figure looks a little awkward with the armor down. Aside from the action feature not bursting off as described, the the mechnism is well engineered and the on the inside, you can see that the red symbol, when pushed, connects to a rear mechanism in the Horde Trooper’s back armor that releases the entire assembly. The plunger that is connected to the Horde symbol comes through a tunnel that is hollowed out in the chest completing the action feature. To put the armor back like nothing ever happened, simply raise both halves of the armor and squeeze them together until you hear a snap.

Arms / Waist / Legs

The arms of the Horde Trooper are symmetrical, meaning they are both the same but mirrored opposites of each other. Starting at the top of the shoulder, there is a nice metal plate with rivets that feeds over a black rubbery looking piece where the bicep would be on a human. Their appear to be metal straps on the forearms that have some minor sculpting detail on them. The hands have a cool metal plate on them that have two red semi circles, making the hands more interesting versus a simple hand sculpt. One aspect of the hands that I wish were updated for this sculpt is to give the Horde Trooper a second gripping hand for his left arm so he could hold his techno staff with either hand, but we will cover this more in the vintage comparison section.

The horde Trooper has a very intricately detailed crotch! Ye, I said it! The cool yellow symbol in the middle adds a splash of color that provides a much-needed focal point. The metal pieces and rivets also add that extra level of detail and the black armor ties in with the rest of the figure. On the back, he’s got some robotic detailing on his booty, which looks more like a fuse panel if the Horde Trooper had an electrical issue, you could pop it off like a pair of trap door pajamas.

His legs are also very detailed and clad in armor. Around the shin armor, the paint app didn’t dry quite right but it gives it a nice weathered look. I am sure your version might look different and this must be a defect from the factory. I always thought it was funny that the Horde Trooper looks like he is wearing sneakers but have a couple metal plates on top of the shoes to give them some bulk.

Weapons and Mini Comic

In the package, the Horde Trooper comes with a Mini Comic entitled Sun Man Rises and a red Techo Staff.

Techno Staff

The Horde Trooper comes with a red Techno Staff that is very intricately sculpted and detailed. The top of the staff looks like a Horde gargoyle type animal is perched atop it and the shaft is detailed with many diverse shapes and textures.

Vintage Horde Trooper Comparison

Comparing the MOTU Origins Horde Trooper to the one of yesteryear, you can see that the Origins head sculpt sits so much higher than the vintage Horde Trooper. I do like this update as I thought the vintage Horde Trooper’s head was too hidden but it added to his mystique! The Origins figure looks a lot less stalky than his vintage predecessor and has more angles and less rectangular features.

The rear of the Horde Troopers look very similar although you can also see from the back that the armored collar is is raised much higher in the Origins figure, giving it a more uniform look. From the waste down the figures look essentially the same although the black pieces separating the thighs and calves have more of a circular look. I think that aspect makes the vintage figure look more like a robot.

With respect to the action features, the Origins Horde Trooper sits a lot higher in the down position than the vintage figure. The black base that not figures sit on are also different. The Origins figure has a thicker, more substantial base while the vintage figure is much smaller and the plastic is thinner. Also, the vintage figure collapses on his own, which gives it a leg up (or chest down) on the Origins figure.

When you look under the hood, the vitnage Horder Trooper has SO MUCH detail on the inside of the armor that shows the computer, wire, and other parts. This can be seen in the front and back armor

Evil Horde 4-Pack Trooper Red & Black Comparison

This is the exact same mold that was used for the red and black Horde Troopers from the Power Con 2020 Evil Horde 4-Pack and I think the silver Horde Trooper looks like the commander in the bunch for me but in order to not go into army building debt, the silver troopers will need to be the ones that make up the bulk of the army.

Ratings

Michael: The Horde Trooper is one of the first army builders for the Hodak’s legion and this trooper came out fantastic! The silver paint app is metallic and shiny and it looks like real metal. The sculpting detail and all new parts makes this figure really stand out. The action feature is fun and although it is not as lose as the vintage figure, it is still great to have it.