Super7 ThunderCats Ultimates Monkian Toy Variant In Hand Review
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Super7 has been killin’ it for the past 2 years on their Thundecats Ultimate figures! I am a child of the 80’s like many of you collector’s out there, and like many of you, I grew up playing with the original LJN Thundercats action figures. So, when Super7 first came out with Ultimates, a part of me always wanted them to be more LJN like! The first Wave was a remake of the Mattel molds they had acquired when they got the license, and as cool as the first Lion-O was, he was not my LJN vintage style Lion-O I loved as a kid. My Vintage LJN Lion-O is my favorite figure in my entire collection because the Baroness of Toys gave it to me as a gift many years ago, so I cherish him! But when Super7 announced their LJN inspired Wave 6 figures, I was over the moon! These new Wave 6 figures totally pulls at those nostalgia strings big time and we now how over first Wave 6 figure Monkian, for an in-hand review! SO let’s dive in and check out this new simian!
Monkian was originally included in Wave 4 of the ThunderCats Ultimates figures. Now we are getting an all-new design! This Monkian has a less pronounced fierceness to his face than that of the wave 4 figure and has an all-new design to the hair on his head and shoulders. He comes with an alternate, a pair of alternate hands and his classic mace. The colors on this figure are also inspired by the vintage LJN figure, with his red and purple arm bracelets and ankle wraps.
Packaging
Box and Pack Out
Super7 Ultimates truly have the “Ultimate” packaging! They of course come in a brown shipper box with a ThunderCats logo, but let’s look within. These ThunderCats Ultimates figures come in amazing packaging which includes a beautiful slipcover that hides a stunning figure within! Let’s take a look at each of the different parts of the packaging, shall we?
Slip Cover
Just like the other Super7 Ultimates figures, Toy Variant Monkian’s package design includes a slipcover that is beautifully done. The slipcover is jet black with a very reflective red large Evil Mutants logo on it! There is a small cut out on the front near the name of the figure that sets the title off. On the back of the slip cover, there is a large beautiful Thundercats lettered logo.
Inner Box
The most exciting part of opening a Super7 Ultimates figures is that moment when you slide the slip cover off to reveal the window display revealing Toy Variant Monkian and his pack out of weapons and accessories inside! The slipcover hides another ThunderCats logo above the name of the figure and then you can clearly see everything that Monkian comes with! Also behind Monkian is that classic white burst that was used on vintage LJN ThunderCats cardbacks back in the 80’s. The back of the box features an amazing ThunderCats illustration of Toy Variant colored Monkian and a bio that reads:
Monkian is the leader of the Monkiansfrom Plun-Darr. He is a powerful and brutish warrior whose ape-like strength makes him “the muscle” of the Mutants. MONKIAN is also incredibly agile, especially when climbing, swinging, and leaping through the tree branches of Third-Earth. Because of this, he is often tasked with important reconnaissance missions for the Mutants. Barely seen without his signature helmet, MONKIAN’s preferred weapon is his deadly flail.
Pack Out
Toy Variant Monkian doesn’t come packed with as many weapons and accessories as his previous figure because this is a true homage to the vintage figure. So Super7 kept it simple with these new LJN inspired figures. The accessories are neatly organized in a plastic clamshell that keep them free from movement.
Box Contents
- Monkian figure
- Alternate head
- Extra hands
- Spiked Mace weapon
Head Sculpt
Monkian’s head sculpt is a wonderful homage to the 1985’s LJN vinatge Monkian action figure! His head sculpt is absolutely stunning and Super7 nailed it when it comes to the paint applications of his eyes and screaming open mouth face! His face is brown color with crazy yellow hair around his face and coming down to his shoulders. His eyes are bright red with black pupils. Top that off with his crazy bright red open mouth and bright white pointy teeth, you have one amazing and vintage inspired head sculpt. Monkian also came packed with an alternate head sculpt with a more neutral look on his face.
Here we can see a very rare look for Monkian, as he is rarely spotted without his helmet!
Chest & Back
The chest is the same chest that as used on the Wave 4 Monkian Ultimates figure. It’s huge and has a lot of hairy texture to it. He also has the same large hairy shoulder as the Wave 4 figure, but in a more yellowish tone.
His back is also the same as the Wave 4 Monkian Ultimates figure. He has a huge tuft of hair hanging down from his shoulders to his back. It is in a nice light-yellow color.
Arms, Waist & Legs
Arms: Both arms are the same sculpt as the the Wave 4 Monkian Ultimates figure. He is wearing a red wrap around his right bicep with a nice huge tuft of light-yellow hair on his shoulder. And on the left side, he has a purple strap wrapping around his left wrist, with again similar tuft of light-yellow hair on his left shoulder.
Waist: Monkian is wearing a nice cloth like looking loin cloth with a strap on top and a red wrap on the left side as well. Again, this waist is the same as the Wave 4 Monkian figure.
Legs: The legs are long and lanky simian types monkey legs with large feet with huge gap between his large toe and the rest. His legs and feet have a ton of sculpted furry detail. He is wearing a purple strap around his right knee. And has a red strap with a spike on it around his left lower leg. Again, this is the same legs as the Wave 4 Monkian figure.
Accessories
Monkian comes with the following accessories. Let’s take a closer look at each below.
- Monkian figure
- Alternate head
- Extra hands
- Spiked Mace weapon
Spiked Mace Ball on Chain
The spiked Mace ball on a chain shares the same sculpt as the one that came with the Wave 4 Monkian figure. But this one is in all shinny silver color. It uses a nice real metal chain and hangs nicely from Monkian’s hand when he is wheedling it around!
Helmet
The include removeable helmet is in a nice burgundy color plastic with silver accents. The silver paint is kind of pitted to looking like old worn meta. It matches the vintage style very well, but is made of kind of a thin plastic so it sometimes sits a little crocked on Monkian’s head.
Alternate Hands
Monkian includes two alternate hands. A left and right set of tight gripping hands. They are easily swappable on this figure and really pop in nicely and stay in place well.
Monkian Throughtout the Years
Vintage Monkian by LJN: The LJN original Monkian figure was released in 1985 as part of Series 1. He came with a spiked mace on a chain and a helmet … sound familiar? LOL. Same as our new Ultimates LJN inspired figure, this vintage Monkian figure had red and purple straps wrapped around his biceps and lower legs, He had short shorts and a furry upper body painted in a light yellow almost tan color His helmet had some nice detail as it was burgandy colored with some nice silver accents. Monkian had that classic open mouth snarl on face that made it look like he as screaming loud like a monkies do! He didnt have much articulation back then, just a 5 POA figure, but we all loved him!
According to LJN Monkian | Thundercats Wiki | Fandom:
Monkian was one of the first ThunderCats action figures produced by LJN Toys. The figure was based on the original 1980s cartoon version of Monkian. Standing a solid 5.5 inches tall, the Monkian figure had action features as well as poseable arms, legs and head, thanks to 5 points of articulation. The figure also came equipped with the Chained Mace
LJN Monkian | Thundercats Wiki | Fandom
Super7 Ultimates Wave 4 Monkian: in 2021, nearly 36 years after the vintage figure, we got our second full size Monkian figure. This time, Super7 kicked off their fourth wave of ThunderCats Ultimates with a massive Monkian figure! This version of Monkian resembles what he looked like in the 1980’s Rankin & Bass Cartoon. He came with some incredible accessories and really showed us how amazing this Ultimates ThunderCats line could be!
Wave 4 Comparisons
Below are photos of the Wave 4 Monkian so you can see the shared parts on the new Toy Variant version. As you can see they are nearly identical except for the skin tone, vintage color ways and the head sculpts.
Vintage LJN Comparisons
Below are comparsion photos of the new Wave 6 Toy Variant Monkian compared to his vintage LJN Counterpart. You can see that Super7 really took their ques from the vintage figure in the color ways and the face sculpt. I think this was a great compromise to make an amazing looking Toy Variant LJN inspired Monkian figure!
Where to Buy:
Entertainment Earth is currently shipping out most of this wave to customers now! Be sure to use code ” TOYHABITS” at checkout for 10% off and free shipping off $39+ orders!
Shop ALL ThunderCats:
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