Last year I reviewed two of Spy Monkey Creations’ custom weapons, the Master Blade of the Empyrean and the Witching Blade of Ruination. Both were designed for use with Masters of the Universe Classics and other fantasy-themed lines. Now SMC is back with another weapon, the Blade of the Demon King!
When SMC first mentioned they were working on another sword, I was psyched. So far MOTUC has proved to be a bit heavy on the staves, but more importantly, there were a few characters who could really use a sword (I’m looking at you, Hordak). Spy Monkey Creations recognized that need. Like their previous weapons, the Blade of the Demon King comes in three flavors:
- Bloodlust Version – clear red/black
- Ghoul’s Aura Version – glow/neon green
- Blue Venom Version – clear blue/metallic purple
Each sword costs $10 and will go on sale March 1st. I’d like to thank Spy Monkey Creations for sending me these samples for this special review.
While the usual caveat applies–these are custom swords, designed for any fantasy-themed line–each weapon has a pretty clear stylistic affinity to a particular MOTUC figure: Bloodlust for Hordak, Ghoul’s Aura for Scareglow, and Blue Venom for Skeletor (or Faker, whom I decided to give it to here).
Design & Sculpt: SMC went with an unusual look for the Blade of the Demon King; rather than the traditional forward curve and smooth surface, the Blade is more like a giant, serrated cleaver. It’s shaped like a bat’s wing (suggesting it was designed for Hordak first) and is translucent, ending in a painted hilt.
It was a unique direction to take, and I’ll admit that my first instinct was to put the sword in the figure’s hand backward, since the front-facing curve seemed so much more natural. Once I got used to how it was supposed to look, however, I came to like it quite a bit. The shape and serration give it a brutal, primal aspect (sort of like Kratos’s blades). You won’t be mistaking this sword for any of the other swords in MOTUC thus far.
Plastic & Paint: Unlike the Master Blade of the Empyrean and the Witching Axe of Ruination, the Demon Blades are made from two separate pieces of plastic–the translucent blade and the hilt.
The Bloodlust sword, which is my personal favorite of the three, is translucent red, while the hilt is black with silver highlights. It matches the style of MOTUC Hordak perfectly, right down to the silver dry brush on the “bones” of the hilt.
The Ghoul’s Aura doesn’t have the same degree of detailing; the bones and pommel could have been painted purple or black, or left glow-in-the-dark to offset the green. But the blade glows, and offers a great alternative to Scareglow’s traditional Lochaber axe.
Finally, the Blue Venom “Skeletor” version has a dark, silvery purple offset by a lighter shiny purple on the bones and pommel.
Quality Control: The swords are very solid, and the paints have been applied well.
Overall: The Blades of the Demon King represent an evolution for Spy Monkey Creations, with more detail and a two-part design. They’re easily on par with, or better than, most of the weapons that come with actual MOTUC figures.
That said, at $10, these aren’t cheap. That’s simply the cost of making custom weapons–you can’t expect them to be as cheap as they would be if they were being made by the tens of thousands by a factory, paid for by a giant company. It’s all a matter of perspective–you can look at $10 as half the cost of a MOTUC figure, or $4 more than a McDonalds value meal that will be gone in fifteen minutes.
If I hadn’t received the review samples, I would have bought the Hordak sword for sure, and possibly the Skeletor sword as well. And I can’t wait to see what SMC has in store for MOTUC fans next…Staff of Avion, perhaps? Not that MOTUC needs anymore staves…
[raven 4]