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Masters of the Universe
Battle Cat and Panthor

By Daniel Lipkowitz, Assistant Editor

Riding beasts for He-Man and Skeletor in the original "Masters of the Universe" toyline, Battle Cat and Panthor have been revived for the new series.

The original cats came from a single mold, itself recycled from an older Mattel toy. Now, the new Battle Cat and Panthor appear to share the same body and leg sculpts, but are distinguished by their own unique heads, tails and claws, as well as accessories, coloration and even texture.

Battle Cat

Battle Cat is a green tiger with yellow-orange stripes and elongated sabretooth-style canine teeth. His copper-colored armor, made up of a large saddle section (complete with dashboard!), face mask and covers for his front paws, is removable. The front of the saddle features the traditional cross-shaped emblem of the original He-Man, although this will likely be replaced in later production runs by the new stylised "H" symbol.

Battle Cat's mask is scaled down considerably from the original's bulky helmet. It's a more streamlined and realistic look, but it does lose a bit of the toy's nostalgia. Under the mask, his face features a very well sculpted feline snarl, complete with painted gums, teeth and tongue. There's even a molded uvula at the back of his throat! The covers for the forepaws have molded notches to align with small bumps on the toy's feet. They're still a bit loose-fitting, however, and it's probably a good idea to keep the clear elastic bands that hold them on in the package.

The only real flaw to this otherwise excellent sculpt is the presence of large hollow notches on the inside of the legs, presumably to make the solid plastic limbs a bit lighter.

Battle Cat carries a pair of missile launchers that peg into the circular shoulder shields on his saddle armor. They launch a fair distance and are easily removed for a more classic look.

The toy also features an attack gimmick. When you push down on a large button on the saddle, Battle Cat's mouth opens and his right foreleg is raised. With the saddle removed, the attack can still be triggered by pressing a flat panel on the toy's back. It's nice to see this kind of functional compromise between sculpting and action feature. If you'd prefer to pose Battle Cat in mid-roar, you can hold the button in and push down on the leg to lock the jaws open. Battle Cat's other three legs articulate at the hip, and his tail rotates at the base.

He-Man fits well on Battle Cat's back, although there isn't really a mechanism to clip him securely in place.

Panthor

With tiny, glaring yellow eyes, serrated metallic claws and multiple rows of jagged, discolored fangs, Panthor is clearly no natural jungle cat. The sculptors have made a great effort to differentiate him from Battle Cat despite their shared leg and body molds, and the result is a beast that looks downright demonic -- a perfect complement to its evil master.

Skeletor's sinister steed was initially intended to have smooth plastic skin, as seen in the photos on his box. Mattel has instead opted for a more nostalgic feel, so like the original toy, the new Panthor features a fuzzy purple flocking. The coat tends to obscure some of the molded detail, unfortunately, but the more sharply defined muscles and facial features are still visible through the fuzz.

Panthor shares Battle Cat's articulation and attack feature. Originally sculpted with his mouth open wide, he ends up with a mixture of lopsided underbite and Cheshire Cat grin when his jaws are closed. Fortunately, they can be locked open in a toothy roar by the same means as Battle Cat's.

Panthor carries a pair of spring launchers on his spiked and bone-detailed saddle armor. The first, mounted between his shoulders, fires a solid block of five plastic arrows. The second, set off to the right side, fires a single long missile. Although nicely asymmetrical, the large launchers seem a little inelegant on the otherwise sleek cat. Fortunately, they pop right out if one prefers the streamlined look.

Skeletor fits fine in Panthor's saddle, but leaving him seated there for long periods may require re-straightening of the strips of his Roman-style skirt.

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