080-2
Bandai- Thundercats: Lion-O
So long funny story about my history with The Thundercats. I was never a big fan of the cartoon and the toys from the 80’s, as it just seemed like He-Man with Cats. Perhaps I was short signed and I missed out on something really good, but it wasn’t until the new series, that developed into something much better IMO, that it came on to my radar. So, when I was younger, I would always ask for G.I. Joe figures and vehicles for Christmas from my extended family. For the most part, It was a fairly simple or small request and they could go to any random toy department and pick up something on my provided list; not spoiled, but certainly was very lucky.
Anyways, one year I hand wrote a list that was compiled of a number of different Joe Vehicles that I spied from that years Sears wish book and on Christmas morning I was very surprised when I opened a toy from my Aunt that I didn’t recognize and certainly did not ask for: LJN ThunderCats: Thunder Wings. It really didn’t make sense and I’m sure my Aunt noticed my confusion and asked if that was not what I asked for. When I said no, she was somewhat annoyed and pulled out my list and pointed to the entry for something call the THUNDER CLAP. Apparently she misread my writing and read it as a ThunderCat. After hearing her plight, driving all over the city to find a Thundercat (this was probably Xmas of 1990 and Thundercats was done around 1987) and finally lucking out on a peg warmer at a dilapidated Wolco store (think a crappy Zellers)I thought it best to say thanks and make the best of it.
Fast forward a few months when I was invited to a school friends Birthday party where my dad introduced me to the benefits of regifting. Now if you thought I was disappointed in getting a gift that I sort of asked for, you better believe that my friend was borderline pissed. Lucky I was able to deflect saying that it was some random thing that my parents picked up for him, but I certainly never forgot the shame I felt.
Quick epilogue… after that Christmas our family had a bit of a falling out and never really spoke to that Aunt, and she passed away a few years later. Also the friend that I regifted the Thunder Wing died in an apartment fire that he accidentally caused by falling asleep while smoking in bed after High School. Also, the Thunder Wing is listed on EBay for $500… perhaps I should have been more thankful.
Anyways, I like Lion-O and if I opened him 5 years ago I would have put him among one of my favourite figures. Nice looking figure with a great amount of articulation and good accessories. However, given what the norm is nowadays, I can see some small issues including some bulky joints, gummy accessories and black screw holes everywhere. Overall, it's still a win in my books and it probably was priced around 15--20 bucks so it's not exactly a fair comparison with the current crop of 6” figures.
Pros: Fantastic character with a great sculpt, really good articulation and nice accessories.
Cons: So many black peg holes that ruin the aesthetics.
