Thunder-3 and Turret Cannon Great Wars Toyplosion 2024 MOTU Exclusive

Toyplosion 2024 has come and gone but we are left with some amazing exclusives that pay homage to the Great Wars in the Masters of the Universe lore and the late, great Mark Taylor. The Thunder-3 and Turret Cannon were a collaboration across several creative and talented individuals, including Axel Gimemez, David de la Cal Alonso, spirits_of_grayskull, MMtoydesign, and yerco_ub! We had to dig back in the annals of The Power and the Honor Foundation book to unearth the concepts that inspired these amazing pieces that were offered for Toyplosion 2024. If these sets are any indication of last year’s Toyplosion 2023 exclusive, we should be in for a real treat!

The Great Wars

The Toyplosion 2024 exclusives are dubbed, The Great Wars, and, according to Axel, “We decided to name this project after the events mentioned in the first four storybooks included with the original Masters of the Universe figures. And also, because with at least two of the three customs we made, we based them on concepts from the early days of that line. Our favorite version of that legendary world. The three exclusives were primarily for Classics and Masterverse scale figures, although some can be used with Origins as well.”

• TURRET CANNON is based on the version that Mark Taylor made when he sculpted the original Castle Grayskull playset prototype.
• THUNDER-3 is the very first design that Mark Taylor also created for Masters.
• UNDERWORLD DOOR comes from the “Underworld” episode of the 200x animated series.

Turret Cannon

The Turret Cannon can be seen in the first concepts for the iconic Castle Grayskull. Perched atop the left side of the playset as you are looking at it from the front view, it was a simple red and yellow piece that was since replaced with the twin cannon that got eventually produced with the set.

Here are some up close shots of the Turret Cannon and you can see all of the detail that was poured into this weapon that never saw the light of the day.

Now in plastic form, this version of the Turret Cannon is based on the version included with the vintage Castle Grayskull prototype by Mark Taylor as seen above but it comes with two extra stands based on the versions that appeared in the “HE-MAN AND THE POWER SWORD” and “KING OF CASTLE GRAYSKULL” storybooks.

Here are the 3D renders for the Turret Cannons.

Thunder-3

Based on the very first vehicle design by Mark Taylor for the Masters of the Universe vintage line, but which was never made until now. The following is an experp from my personal copy of The Power and the Honor Foundation book as it describes this concept: “One of the first vehicles conceptualized for the line, which never saw the light of day, was a three-wheeled battle chariot of sorts (below). As this artwork reveals, the figure would have physically attached itself to the toy rather than merely sitting on it. From this illustration, it can be seen that science fiction elements are slowly beginning to merge with the initial straight-fantasy style. The character in this piece is one of the earliest illustrations of He-Man by Mark Taylor, based on his designs of the character.”

The translation from the concept art found in The Power and the Honor Foundation book is outstanding and really brings the vehicle to life.

It is literally a direct translation and it looks absolutely stunning! From the rivet designs to the rams head and the shields, it is like you are looking at a piece of history in plastic! It is even has details on the control panel and a heads up display, which is very MOTU blending the classic nature of a vehicle with the tech.

The Great Wars History

According to the Wiki Grayskull:

Early Minicomics

The Great Wars are first mentioned in He-Man and the Power Sword. Writer Donald F. Glut put no thought into the history of the Great Wars; the premise was simply an easy way for him to present a concept without having to explain it.[1] Accordingly, little is established about the conflict itself. It serves primarily to convey the notion that Eternia was once a highly advanced society until the wars reduced it to a barbaric, post-apocalyptic wasteland with little knowledge of the previous era. The characters are familiar with science and magic, but it is implicit that any technology or sorcery predating the Great Wars is inherently superior to modern works, and often incomprehensible to present-day Eternians.

When the Sorceress presents He-Man with the weapons and equipment she has been guarding, she implies their quality by stating that they were created by scientists centuries before the Great Wars. Skeletor later claims that a “hole” between dimensions was opened during the Great Wars, through which he was thrown from his native dimension into Eternia. In King of Castle Grayskull, He-Man remarks that Castle Grayskull was built before the Great Wars.

Filmation Era

The Great Wars are never referenced in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe or She-Ra: Princess of Power. However, the backstory of this version of Eternia does suggest several similar wars.

The Masters of the Universe Bible describes a series of wars on the evil world Infinita, which only ended when the last of the two warring factions each activated their ultimate weapns simultaneously, sending several of the combatants’ leaders through a space portal to Eternia, which they decided to conquer. After the Infinitan invasion is repelled, and to prepare for the day the evil might return the Council of Elders create Castle Grayskull to store their knowledge until a champion emerges to use it. These concepts were abandoned without ever being used in either animated series.

The attempted invasion of Eternia by the Evil Horde, as alluded to in “Origin of the Sorceress” and described in “Reunions,” represented an existential threat to the planet. Given the strength of the Horde Empire and the effort that would be required to repel such a force, this would presumably be one of the most terrible wars in Eternia’s history.

“Journey to Stone City” reveals that Vokan’s people were great warriors who had themselves turned to stone when life became too peaceful, so that they could be awakened when their talents would be needed again. This implies that a time existed, centuries ago, when Vokan’s people were needed, although the nature of that crisis is unknown.

Classics Continuity

The Masters of the Universe Classics franchise makes frequent references to the Great Wars in its attempt to forge a single history from elements of all previous continuities. In the biographies included with the action figures, the Great Wars are presented as a series of conflicts between the Evil Horde, the Snake Men, and the forces of King Grayskull, around five hundred years before the birth of Prince Adam.

The wars began as a rebellion by the ancient Eternians against the oppressive rule of King Hssss, who had conquered the planet three hundred years earlier on behalf of the Unnamed One. However, the arrival of He-Ro to Eternia attracted the attention of the Hordak, who arrived with his Hordesmen and soon challenged the Snake Men for control of the planet, escelating the violence. Eventually the three warring factions agreed to a temporary truce to construct the Three Towers. Eventually, with the aid of He-Man visiting from the future, King Grayskull and He-Ro turned the tide against their enemies at the first Ultimate Battleground. Hordak betrayed King Hssss, causing the Snake Men to be banished to the Void. Grayskull in turn successfully banished the Horde to Despondos, although he would ultimately fall to Hordak’s magic.