Snake Lair MOTU Origins SDCC 2024 Booth Reveal, Official Images, and Details
Back on October 12, 2023, the Snake Lair was declared the winner of the next crowdfunding project from Mattel for the MOTU Origins line. According to our unofficial Toy Habits poll, the Snake Lair was the front runner by a large margin. The MOTU team unveiled the Snake Lair at their booth at San Diego Comic Con and they revealed official images of this beast of a playset. Stay tuned for more information on how to bring this fortress to life as this crowdfund will be going live, August 12, 2024, only on MattelCreations.com.
Snake Lair Illustration vs. Final Product
Before we dive into all of the official images, let’s take a look at the illustration from the one and only Axel Gimenez and the Snake Lair that was revealed at SDCC 2024. There are some very striking differences in what the fans voted on and what was produced. Axel’s illustration feels very organic as the snakes look like they are alive. The scuptues on the left side of the playseet also bring in a more fearsome vibe. The Snake Lair that was revealed at SDCC 2024 has a more technologically advanced look and feel to it and it looks more like a castle with snake sculptures on it. With respect to size, in fan’s minds, they thought they were getting a playset close to the size of Castle Grayskull that was portable and could close up like a clamshell. The Snake Lair that was unveiled is more massive and more of a presence.
Snake Lair Official Images
Rivaling the size of Eternia, the Snake Lair is a fortress that the Snake Men can use to devise plans to attack the heroic warriors and it is chalk full of features to fend off any foe! The overall color of the Snake Lair is a brownish gold tone that makes the greens of the snakes pop against the structure.
It features a large snake head with an open mouth and a chipped fang, showing the fortress has been has been attacked before.
The inside of the playset screams of MOTU as the left side of the Snake Lair features the technology side with an elevator and a control room and the right side of the playset features a holding cell with with snakes that will trap any foe.
There are multiple levels to the Snake Lair as the Snake Men must traverse the set using ladders to get up to the large gun emplacement.
In the middle, you can see Lady Slither’s throne with a snake waterfall of lava in the background. The iron maiden is a cool device of torture device that we saw in the original illustration from Axel Gimenez.
Here is a comparison photo showing the Eternia plsyset next to the Snake Lair. Althought not quite as wide and as tall as Eternia, the Snake Lair will definitely be a strong the presence in your display. Also, if you look closely at the table that used for this comparison, both Eternia and the Snake Lair are hanging off the left and right sides of the table.
SDCC 2024 Booth Reveal
We were fortunate enough the witness the live unveiling of the Snake Lair in the Mattel Booth at SDCC 2024 and it was a slight to see. The front of the Snake Lair’s drawbridge was down so it was cool to see that aspect of it.
The ominous mouth of the snake is the perfect centerpiece for the front of the playset and the chipped fang portrays the front of the playset as a battle hardened fortress. There is a dark and light green paint app on the Snake head that gives it depth and dimension.
The vehicle on the side of the Snake Lair is called the Rattle Trap. Dubbed as the Slithering spy vehicle for the Snake Men, this vehicle is designed to move over very rough terrain. Its tail swings forward to clear everything in its way. Wired for voice-command, this transport can rear up to provide unobstructed views over fortress walls. The Snake Men would feel right at home in this scaly vehicle. The Rattle Trap is a massive presence on the Snake Lair and it gives it a very unique look.
Looking at the rear of the playset, we were able to get some shots of this beast before they put the glass display back in place. The left side of the playset features an elevator, which is very MOTU! The left side of the playset features some snake shackles and a large snake head looking outward. The middle of the playset features the entrance on the ground floor, Lady Slither’s throne on the second floor, a lookout on the third floor and a massive gun emplacement on top.
The shackles holding up King Grayskull and there are some clips at his feet that gives him some extra restraint. There is also a trap door under his feet. Getting a closer look at the Iron Maiden, it has an Aztec look and feel and features spikes on the inside.
The gun emplacement rivals the one that sits atop Eternia as this one has a nice gold paint app and some cool details that bring it some depth. You can see Terroar on the top floor on the left side of the playset and it’s so apropos that it features an elevator.
Who is sitting in Lady Slither’s throne is an unnamed new character that is the early bird unlock for the Snake Lair. The throne looks amazing as there are so many details and the room features lava flowing out of the two snakes mouths on the wall.
The entrance to the Snake Lair features snakes wrapping around the two poles and a gate that opens and closes. Here is another look at Rattle Trap with his mouth open.
Snake Lair Crowd Fund Winner
Now that San Diego Comic Con 2024 is upon us, we expect the Snake Lair playset to be on full display in the Mattel booth! Like the Eternia crowdfund that graced Mattel’s booth at SDCC 2022, the Snake Lair will make an amazing centerpiece. As we think about the Snake Lair and how crowd funding works, we are turning our attention as we “speculate” on the unlocks and potential price of this exciting playset. We usually have a pulse on what is coming out in the future but call these details based on some intel plus some highly educated guesses.
Tier Unlock Speculation and Price
Given that this is a crowdfunding project, it stands to reason that there will be several tiers to unlock, like in the previous Eternia crowdfund. Although Eternia only saw one tier unlock with the Moat Monster and Keclar and the promise that everyone would receive a King Grayskull at 10K backers was not enough to sweeten the deal to break 10K. Given that Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain were sub $100 US dollars, we feel that this crowdfund could run as high as $200+. We never like to overpay for playsets (or anything for that matter, but we feel this crowdfund could run in the territory of $200 to $250. With sweet unlocks, this playset could be worth that price so so have some ideas that would make this playset worth the price of admission.
Tier 1: High Priest Pythonus
The High Priest would make a logical choice as an unlock for the Snake Lair as he’s been pictured alongside Lady Slither in her card art. He’s also been teased on previous card art but wouldn’t it be amazing to complete the scene we saw on the back of Lady Slither’s box! Like the Baroness and Destro are part of Cobra Commander’s high command in GI Joe, it appears that they are positioning the High Priest (and the red Snake Man) as part of Lady Slither’s high command.
Since Axel Gimenez and Leonardo Vega designed and illustrated a plethora of Snake Men for Lady Slither to command, the concepts never made into plastic form and while most of them remain un-produced to this day, the deep cut Snake Men are slowly making their way to the MOTU Origins line. Since the High Priest has been teased on two official MOTU Origins packaging, we are sure that one is in the works. Until that day when the High Priest is officially announced, we are featuring the amazing work of Mega Customx, who has created the most STUNNING High Priest Pythonus figure in MOTU Origins form! This figure captures the essence of what Axel Gimenez intended for the concept and Mega Customx delivered with his detailed texturing, paint app, weapons, and accessories for this killer concept.
This figure is amazing from head to toe! First, the headwear mirrors the more recent card art teases and Mega Customx nailed the exact color orange we would expect from the concept illustrations. Around the back of the piece, there is a red and blue paint app that looks meticulously applied! The blue snake collar, also referenced in the concept art and illustrations, is spot on!
In this photo, we can see the up close and personal attention to detail Mega Customx poured into this figure! The snake texturing on the face is sculpted to perfection and the blending of darker green to light green ads depth and dimension to the face sculpt. The black outline on the lips compliments the appearance of real snake skin with his closed mouse sculpt. The bone scepter came out amazing and the way it was painted looks like it was created from an actual living being! The color of the scepter is also the exact color of bone, adding to the realism of the figure.
The loin cloth is also highly detailed and resembles the illustrations from the most recent card art teases. The figure looks amazing clutching the bone scepter and the snake staff. The additional spell casting hand adds so much displayability to the figure and you can change up the look for your shelf!
About Mega Customx
There are plenty of ways to keep up with the lastest customs from Mega Customx:
High Priest Pythonus Teases
High Priest Pythonus has beened teased twice on MOTU Origins card art. The first tease was on the Moss Man deluxe box. The rear of the packaging of the MOTU Origins Deluxe Moss Man is a stunning full color illustration of the entire rear of the package with Moss Man poking out of a ferny bush, fully armored up, mace in hand! He is looking over two new foes. There os a beautiful redish orange Eternian sunset sky in the background. Standing in the distance is the High Priest Pythonus!
Here is a closer look at the High Priest along side the red Snake Man who reuses Lady Slither’s tail.
The second tease as on Lady Slither’s box and here we can see Lady Slither on her throne with the two snakemen High Priest Pythonus and the unnamed Red Snake creature standing by her side.
Tier 2: Lady Slither’s Throne
The amazing yerco_ub stunned collector’s has he revealed his Lady Slither’s Throne MOTU Origins Concept! He recently released the digital blueprints for a Masterverse version of Hordak’s Throne and and he’s also created the blueprints for the Filmation Attak Trak (v1 and v2), the Small Trak, Horde Command Crawler, Doom Tower, Eternos Palace, Gigantisaur, Gwildor’s Forge, and Sharella’s weapon set. The inspiration for his latest creation, Lady Slither’s Throne, was taken from the Vypor Cardback art illustration. Roy released another update to the MOTU Origins Vypor illustration, which shows the full sketch! We can clearly see Eldor on his knees in front of Vypor. We also get a better look at the other new Snake Men in the scene, along with Lady Slither and her throne.
Lady Slither’s Throne
The Throne features an amazing snake motif, complete with snake fountains! As yerco, explains, “One of the most beautiful things in life is giving life. Some have children; others, ideas. Ideas that transcend mere memories to become feelings that surpass the mere notion of a concept, turning into events and disruptions that impact many. The Snakemen had a peculiar reputation: each time they appeared, the MotU lines would perish, as if foretelling an end. However, today is different; today, almost all have been reborn and more will soon emerge, along with many new stories and the lair they so richly deserve. For me, Lady Slither was that dragonfly in the sea, a tiny living creature amidst vastness, which marked the beginning of ongoing growth.Thank you very much, @axel.gimenez , for these new figures.”
The Throne is made up of several pieces you can 3D print and put together. This will make an amazing companion peice to the Snake Lair Crowdfund, which we expect to see at Comic Con 2024.
Looking at this from an angle, you can see the details of the snake fountains as they pour out snake venom from their mouths.
Yerco also photos of the 3D printed throne at it looks outstanding! The throne looks like it is an ancient piece that Lady Slither commissioned as the paint app and washing look like real stone.
Since this is a 3D custom print, you are free to choose how you paint and decorate it to fit in with how you view the world of the Snake Men.
And what does Lady Slither have in her hand? It is none other than the Medallion of Serpos, another one of Yerco’s creations and nods to the Masters of the Universe. Originally specked out as an accessory for the MOTU Classics Vypor figure, the Medallion of Serpos is powerful a Snake Men artifact. It take’s it’s name from the ancient snake god Serpos. In the Leviathan’s War mini comic, Lord Gr’Asp uses the Medallion of Serpos, from atop Snake Mountain, to open a portal so that Lady Slither’s fleet can invade Eternia. But after the betrayal of Reptilax, Snake Armor Skeletor steals the medallion and uses it to destroy the fleet. Terroar appears to destroy the medallion with his sonic blast.
The Origins of Lady Slither
Axel Gimenez shared the inspiration for not only Lady Slither, but the Snake Lair itself! Lady Slither! Axel said on his Instagram post, “Ten years ago, while I was working on the art of the minicomic #5 of the Classics line, the first idea for the Snake Lair was to reuse the concept from the vintage line of the unproduced Treehouse playset, but I quickly discarded that option to make the design more related to the Snake Men. That is why the main aspect is the adaptation of that faction’s logo to the facade of the fortress.?”
Tier 3: Sharella
We don’t have any intel or info for a Tier 3 unlock but we feel that Sharella would make an amazing unlock! Since Sharella has been teased multiple times on Masters of the Universe Origins box art and card art, we do believe that she will be making an appearance in line! In fact, she is one of the original teases on Megator’s box art from the cancelled Powers of Grayskull line so it’s been a long time coming for her to make it figure form! Since Sharella has been teased on multiple box and card arts from the MOTU Origins line, including her latest appearances on the Eternia Box Art and Terroar’s MOTU Origins card art, we are hoping this seals the deal for Sharella to make it in the MOTU Origins line.
Sharella was originally conceived to part a heroic character in the mostly unproduced Powers of Grayskull line of 1987. She was seen on the box art for the Megator package running in the background. She was thought to have come with a Sword, bow, and quiver with arrows. Unfortunately for all of us, she was never produced as a figure in the 1987 Powers of Grayskull line but her illustration from the talented Axel Gimenez lives on as a concept that was meant for the Masters of the Universe Classics line!
Hot off the heels of the Lord Gr’asp official card art reveal comes Terroar’s turn! The Shapeshifter with a Sinister Shriek is in the spotlight today as Roy Juarez and team revealed the official digital high rez images for Terroar! There are two teases that are front and center, which include Sharella and Turbodactyl, who have been previously teased on card art before. With the recent confirmation that Strobo and Plasmar will be joining the MOTU Origins line, the Powers of Grayskull figure lineup is looking mighty impressive! As a reminder, Terroar and Lord Gr’asp will be going up for preorder during the Walmart Collector Con March 2024 edition so don’t miss out!
Roy Juarez and team are on ?, with an announcement on Instrgram that reads: “Terroar, the shapeshifter with a sinister shriek! The Snake Men’s alien ally renders his enemies helpless with a deafening sonic roar.”
The usual suspects for Origins:
Packaging Design & Art Direction @manuel_eduardo_caritas
Artwork @axel.gimenez@david_de_la_cal_alonso
Toy Design @katanarama333
Packaging Engineer @lpukhrambam
Story @joshuaskywriter
Copywriter @yesreallyrob
The shriek is nicely illustrated as Terroar sends a soundwave to Sharella as she sets an arrow in her bow. Terroa’s card back art features him battling against Sharella riding Turbodactyl, with a very different Castle Grayskull in the background. It could be that this is taking place in pre-Eternia and the Castle was much newer and less battle worn back in those days. These teases of Sharella and Turbodactyl will be covered below.
You can see all of the details that were poured into Terror as well as Sharella and Turbodactyl!
Sharella has appeared several times on packages, card backs and mini comics. Here on Terroar’s card back she is riding on Turbodactyl ready to go to battle with Terroar! This is yet another tease for her figure!
We previously just saw Sharella spotted on the top of central tower on the Eternia Playset box. She can be seen with her bow and arrow pointed at poor Grizzlor who is climbing the ladder up the Central Tower.
Sharella is actually the Goddess. According to MOTU Lore and as written on the character bio for MOTU Classics, the Goddess’s real name is Sharella. But who really is Sharella and where did she come from?
According to the MOTU Classics Goddess Bio:
After the death of King Grayskull, the Power of the Universe was transferred from the Sword of He to the Council of Elders who hid it deep within his castle. Knowing the full sword was the key to channeling the power, they split it in two to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil. For five centuries they waited for a worthy heir to be born. During this time their spirit guide, the creature known as “The Goddess” of Etheria, trained secret heroic guardian to keep the two halves of the sword separated. Many of these brave warriors took the name “He-Man” in honor of the sword they protected giving birth to many different legends of the protector of Eternia.
According WikiGrayskull:
The Masters of the Universe Classics toy line has combined elements from all previous continuities, and as such has restored the Goddess to a position of importance in Eternian history. According to the biographies printed on the toys, the Goddess is Sharella, a spirit guide who consulted the Council of Elders between the death of King Grayskull and the lifetime of Prince Adam some 500 years later. During this time the Goddess trained “secret heroic guardians” such as Vikor, Wun-Dar, and Oo-Larr to protect the two halves of Grayskull’s “Sword of He” until a worthy heir emerged. The Classics storyline has yet to present any information about her activities during the present day, or her relationship (if any) with the Sorceress, Teela, and Prince Adam.
Goddess | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Sharella was originally conceived to part a heroic character in the mostly unproduced Powers of Grayskull line of 1987. She was seen on the box art for the Megator package running in the background. She was thought to have come with a Sword, bow, and quiver with arrows. Unfortunately for all of us, she was never produced as a figure in the 1987 Powers of Grayskull line.
Unfortunately, Sharella has never been an officially produced action figure, but if the Origins line makes a figure of her, they are going way deep into MOTU lore, and that is super exciting! Here we can see a custom by Hunter Knight. Created by using a Battleground Teela figure with a sculpted top and also re-sculpted lower arms. Her quiver was donated from a Young Justice Artemis action figure with new sculpted details and her bow is a cast from a Legolas figure with additional details, HKC did a magnificent job! So, this give you a little bit of an idea of what Sharella might look like in action figure form! So you could imagine Mattel using a Teela Origins buck as a basis for this figure.
Starring on the Wun-Dar comic card back art and in the packed in mini comic “Lost Legend”. In the mini comic, Wun-Dar also refers to Sharella as “The Goddess”. Sharella seems to be a pivitol character in the story. On the Comic Cardback art, we can see Sharella whelding a bow and arrow coming to Wun-Dar’s rescue, as he battles a storm of evil glowing skeleton warriors.
Snake Lair MOTU Origins Concept
We have no idea what the outside or inside of the Snake Lair looks like but m.t.dioart from Germany created a Snake Lair concept we can use for inspiration before the playset gets revealed at SDCC 2024. The Snake Lair, an un-produced concept from from the MOTU Classics era and is bringing it to life! While he features MOTU Classicis figures in his design, this playset would scale nicely for MOTU Origins and Masterverse (if we get any Snake Men created for that line). Taking the blueprint from the MOTU Classics Lady Slither’s Lair, which was just an image, m.t.dioart uses a combination of MDF, wood, and foam Styrodur to achieve his intended result. He was posted several work in progress images so be sure to check back here for updates as I am sure you are as eager to see the end result as we are!
September 30, 2023 UPDATE: Exclusive Images – Snake Lair Complete
m.t.dioart has finished his Snake Lair masterpiece and shared exclusive images with us! The Snake Lair looks absolutely stunning and it’s amazing to see the final concept come to life! He was also placed MOTU Origins Snake Men in and around the Lair so we can see the scale compared to the figures.
Getting a full view into the inside of the Lair, you can see all of the fin detail m.t.dioart pours into his work! The dungeon came out great and we love the skeleton on the wall!
October 12, 2023: Snake Lair Declared the Winner!
Turns out our unofficial Fan Vote predicted the winner as the Mattel team just announced the winner and it’s the Snake Lair. Coming Spring 2024 as the next Crowdfund project, Lady Slither and her crew will have a place to do their dirty deeds! No other mentions were made as to who took second place but stay tuned for more info!
Here is the announcement from Mattel:
October 11, 2023 UPDATE: Toy Habits Unofficial Fan Vote Results
Thank you to the nearly 3500 fans who voted in our Toy Habits Unofficial Fan Vote! If you still want to participate in our unofficial poll, or read more about it, you can go here: Masters of the Universe Eternia’s Choice Fan Vote Crowdfund.
Based on the nearly 3500 votes, we are calling the Attak Trak and Snake Lair the unofficial winners of Mattel’s Eternia’s Fan Vote!
Snake Lair Playset
First up is the Snake Lair Playset or Lady’s Slither’s Lair as we like to call it. Recently teased on Fang-Or’s card art below, we discussed this one recently as a distinct possibility as it made the most sense as a new playset to be released since Mattel was going heavy on the Rise of the Snakemen this year!
Lady Slither’s Lair was teased recently on Fang-Or’s card back art. Along with the announcement of the Fang-Or, Mattel provide some very juicy details for us to chew and stew on. As Mattel (we think this might be Roy Juarez speaking) was describing the packaging and art direction for for Fang-Or, and said “When it’s revealed, you will see a direct connection to Preternia. We’ll focus on a lush swamp background, and in the middle of it you’ll be able to see Lady Slither’s Snake Lair…The artwork teases potential upcoming figure reveals and a very cool easter-egg I had to include in the card back artwork.” Fans will notice that the Snake Lair is surrounded by a moat and a creature. The moat pays homage to The Castle Moat playmate that Mark Taylor originally envisioned, and the sea creature is one of the creatures illustrated in The Castle Moat. This concept was held over from the MOTU Classics line but would make an amazing MOTU Origins playset!
So of course when we did get Fang-Or’s card art, the back of the card featured an amazing scene with Fang-Or pouncing on an unsuspecting He-Ro with Lady Slither (and her Lair) in the background! It’s amazing to think we could get a He-Ro figure for MOTU Origins and a scaled down Lady Slither’s Lair, which are teased quite prominently by the card art.
Looking at the art close up, Roy brings out so much emotion and action in this illustration! The fiery oranges and greens play nicely off each to create an epic scene.
Below is a close up of Lady Slither’s Lair on the card back and a concept that was done for the MOTU Classics line.
