MOTU Origins Snake Lair Playset In Hand Images

By the Power of Grayskull! The Snake Lair playset for MOTU Origins has started arriving in collectors’ hands and we are getting our first real look at this thing unboxed and set up. Huge thanks to @battleramblog_heman_org for sharing these images, originally posted by MENTALUNICORN11 on Reddit. Be sure to check out our MOTU Origins Snake Lair Packaging Images & Art Teases and Eldor MOTU Origins Figure Spotted on Back of Snake Lair Packaging – Toy Habits articles as well for all the incredible new figure teases and Eldor figure sneak peek! The Snake Lair is one of those releases that the MOTU Origins community has been waiting on for a while now, and seeing it fully unboxed really gives you a sense of the scale and detail Mattel packed into this set. I love how the sculpted snake motifs and the overall layout give it that classic playset energy that reminds me of growing up with the vintage line, where the environments were just as much a part of the adventure as the figures themselves. One really cool detail that fans are already buzzing about is what appears to be a nod to Battle Bones worked into the design. How amazing is that?! It’s exactly the kind of deep cut reference that makes collecting Origins so much fun for longtime fans of the franchise. Now, some collectors have noted that the final production piece differs from the earlier concept art by Axel Giménez that got everyone so hyped, and while the concept version was absolutely stunning, the finished product still looks like a super exciting addition to the Origins world. It’s a big, displayable playset that gives your Snake Men crew a proper home base, and at the end of the day that’s what we’ve been asking for. Early reactions from collectors who have theirs in hand seem really positive, with folks already calling for Rattletrap and High Priest Pythonus to fill out the ranks. I can’t be more excited to see what Mattel has in store for the Snake Men faction going forward. Will we see more deep cut characters join the lineup? Only time will tell! So let’s take a look at the MOTU Origins Snake Lair Playset in hand!

Where to Buy

The Snake Lair Playset is no longer available for purchase since it was a crowdfund project, but you can try to find one on the aftermarket HERE!

Packaging Art

The Snake Lair box art is absolutely packed with Preternia-era chaos, and Axel Gimenez did incredible work here. The central structure is a massive stone temple overrun with coiling serpents, their scaled bodies wrapping around crumbling towers and archways, with a giant snake skull forming the main entrance, its jaws wide open and fangs fully exposed.

You can see how the landscape is teeming with Preternia-era creatures and characters, from the winged Turbodactyl soaring through the sky to the hulking Tyrantisaurus Rex and the tri-horned Bionatops lumbering near the temple ruins. Down in the foreground, serpentine dragons and lizard creatures fill the swampy terrain, while the towering silhouettes of Giants Tytus and Megator loom among the rocky cliffs alongside what appears to be Battle Bones, King Grayskull, and a Preternian Battle Cat, all woven into this sprawling Powers of Grayskull panorama.

Box Contents

Here’s a closer look at the Snake Lair fresh out of the shipping box, still wrapped in its protective plastic. You can already make out the incredible scale sculpting across the tan and green sections, with deeply carved stone textures and overlapping reptilian scales covering nearly every surface. A small caged section with metal-look bars sits nestled between the larger pieces, and down below you can spot green serpent claws gripping what appears to be a red and black shield or emblem, with fangs poking out from the sculpt.

Here’s a good look at one of the larger stone arch pieces being lifted out of the box. The sculpted rock texture across the entire surface has real depth to it, with chiseled, irregular stone segments that give the arch a weathered, ancient feel, and you can see a peg hole recessed into the trunk section where it’ll connect to the rest of the playset.

Here’s a closer look at the Snake Lair’s detached serpent head piece, and it fills the entire palm of your hand. The scale texture wraps all the way from the snout down through the throat, with a bright teal slit-pupil eye set into the green hide, while the open jaws reveal long curved fangs in a brownish-gold tone and a smooth cream-colored interior.

A close-up reveals just how much sculptural detail is packed into the Snake Lair’s lower facade, from the massive dinosaur-like skull with its rows of jagged teeth to the layered stone brickwork that transitions between mossy greens and tan. The red turret cannon perched above has a chunky, mechanical look with gears and handles molded into the base, while a small metal chain hangs down to a round porthole window fitted with a red lattice grate.

The Snake Lair assembled and fully connected is a massive piece, with the left tower’s serpent head perching high above the barred cage section while the right tower’s open-mawed snake entrance dominates the front. I like how the orange turret cannon sits naturally between the two halves, bridging the rugged stone architecture with a pop of mechanical color that contrasts against all that green and tan scale work.

You can see how the Snake Lair’s front entrance really comes together here, with that massive serpent head looming above the doorway, its glossy red mouth wide open to reveal a sculpted tongue and four ivory fangs. The wooden door below has a gorgeous bronze Medusa-style medallion at its center, flanked by real metal chains and two translucent blue flame torches mounted on smaller green snake sculptures that coil around the rocky facade.

Chimera 2 Headed Steed

Here’s a closer look at the Chimera panel, which dominates one side of the Snake Lair box with Lady Slither mounted atop her two-headed serpentine steed, both snake heads lunging forward with their fangs bared and glowing red eyes, their green and black scaled bodies layered with deep red armor plating. I like how the composition pulls in additional creatures around them, including what looks like a pink-scaled dragon and more serpentine beasts writhing through the rubble, all framed by that smoky, war-torn Preternia landscape that ties perfectly into the rest of the panoramic artwork.

The Chimera panel highlights the massive serpentine tail coiling through a toxic green swamp, its body ending in a second head with rows of jagged fangs and glowing red eyes that feels almost more menacing than the primary head above. Off to the lower right, a terrified Eldor recoils on the rocks, and I like how the eerie green glow radiating from the water ties the whole scene together with a venomous, Preternia-swamp atmosphere.

Chimera is packed with sculpted detail, from the overlapping scale texture across both teal bodies to the red spiked armor plating that wraps around each neck and head. The gold saddle between the two heads has an ornate reptilian emblem molded into it, secured with a brown leather-look strap and buckle.

Here’s a closer look at one of Chimera’s heads, and the sculpt work on that green snout is fantastic. Each individually carved fang lines the open jaw, while that bright red eye with its slit pupil sits just beneath a row of ridged red horn nubs running along the brow line.