Review > 4″ Tygra (Thundercats, Bandai)

The new ThunderCats cartoon is possibly the best revamp of a 1980s property yet–better than the 2003 Masters of the Universe, better than any of the recent Transformers series, even better than G.I. Joe: Resolute. It takes the elements of the original series and remixes them into a show that is both warmly familiar, yet has its own identity.

Those of us steeped in decades of geek culture (and let’s face it, that’s most of us) might notice borrowed sights and plot devices from The Lord of the Rings movies, James Cameron’s Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many other shows and movies, but the strong vocal cast and artistic style overcome any weakness of storytelling. What’s more, the show isn’t afraid to offer shades of gray, making it clear that the ThunderCats, as the dominant society, may be guilty of racism and repression.

One character who was rather significantly altered in the new show is Tygra. In the 1980s ‘toon, Tygra was Lion-O’s second-in-command. He was also, well, kind of boring. In the 2011 ThunderCats, Tygra (voiced by videogame and anime veteran Matthew Mercer)  is Lion-O’s adopted older brother and rival for their father’s affection. Though more responsible and less hot-headed than Lion-O, Tygra is also more close-minded and tends to doubt Lion-O’s ability to lead (with admittedly good reason–Lion-O makes a childish misstep in the pilot episode that, handled responsibly, could have averted a terrible fate).

Bandai is offering the new ThunderCats in two styles: a 4″ line and a 6″ line (in addition to an 8″ collectors’ line based on the 1980s show). I haven’t found any of these figures at retail here in New England yet, but Bandai was kind enough to send along a 4″ Tygra as a review sample.

Tygra is a perfectionist and expert marksman who is able to make himself invisible with the help of his whip.

Packaging: The packaging design is similar to Marvel Universe, with the image of the character on the upper left side. It uses the art style that’s been seen across all the marketing for the new ThunderCats (which sticks with the tried-and-true orange-and-blue) but I do worry it may not be eye-catching enough on today’s toy shelves. Like G.I. Joe’s dark packages, I’ve worried I looked right past them when walking through Toys R Us.

The back of the package features a brief bio and some cross-sell images. It also includes instructions for how to use the character’s “magnet powered Thunder Lynx” feature, which allows the toy to interact with the line’s playsets and vehicles.

Design & Sculpt: As most regular Poesters will know, I don’t really collect 3¾”-4″ figures. Though I had a lot of Star Wars figures as a kid, He-Man, Ninja Turtles and early Toy Biz Marvel figures were closer to 5″. 6″-7″ became my scale of choice in the late 1990s and I’ve never gone back to 4″ since, even as some companies’ 4″ figures have become increasingly awesome. On a side note, Tygra is closer to a 4″ scale than 3¾”, as you can see in the comparison pic with Snake Eyes.

I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed when my sample turned out to be a 4″ figure rather than one of the 6″ ones, but in the interest of journalist integrity I set aside my bias and I’ve tried to remain as objective as possible in this review (as “objective” as a reviewer can ever be, that is).

Unlike many of Hasbro’s Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Marvel Universe offerings, Bandai’s 4″ ThunderCats line is intended more for kids than collectors. There’s not quite as much emphasis on sculpting and less attention to circumventing the scale issues that pop up with figures of this size. It’s particularly noticeable on the head–instead of looking like he has wild hair, Tygra appears to have a Leader-like enlarged cranium. Otherwise, he seems fairly accurate to the cartoon design.

Plastic & Paint: All of Bandai’s American toy lines, such as Power Rangers and Ben 10, have been made from a kind of hard, glossy plastic that makes the figures look and feel very much like toys. While many adult collectors dislike this (a lot), I think the overt toyishness has a certain instinctive, perhaps fetishistic appeal–both to kids and some of us collectors.

It reminds me of Nicholson Baker’s discussion of cars in The Mezzanine (one of my favorite books), where he points out how Japanese car makers understand the visceral pleasure of a creaky, cartilaginous gearstick. I wonder if the glossy plastic of many of Bandai’s toys is entirely intentional.

Tygra is made from that same glossy, toyish plastic. The figure feels very durable.

The paint applications take a hit from the unevenness of Tygra’s stripes–some of them are pretty off.

Articulation: Most of the time when a 4″ figure disappoints me, it’s because of the articulation. Something’s lacking that makes the figure hard to pose in a fun way.

However, this is one place where Tygra shines. He has a ball jointed head; ball joints at the shoulders and hips; swivels at the hips, wrists and knees; and hinges at the elbows, knees, and ankles. He does lack an elbow swivel, which is a minor disappointment, but in general I found the articulation made playing around with Tygra much more fun than I usually do with this scale.

Accessories: Tygra comes with a whip, a belt, and a gun. The belt and gun look too big, but this is undoubtedly because he was designed for kids, not collectors. The gun can fit in the belt, while the whip is made from a nicely pliable material.

Quality Control: As I said, this figure feels really durable. I suspect it would hold up to a lot of child’s play.

Overall: Despite a few flaws, I quite like this figure. I know, it surprised me too. I think the simple toyishness of it, combined with the smooth articulation, won me over.

Of course, the big appeal of this scale is the vehicles and playsets, all of which can make use of the “Thunder Lynx” feature which I can’t review, not having any of them. I did seem it demoed at Toy Fair in February and thought it was pretty neat. As I recall, different characters initiate different sound and light effects in different environments.

[raven 3]

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14 Comments

  1. Thanks for this review on the new 4" Tygra. It will be interesting to see how popular this Thundercats revamping may become.

  2. Mark

    Excellent review Poe. We have to wait until 1st December for them to come out over here.

  3. Aaron

    I really enjoy the glossy look of Bandai's figures. If you're looking for gritty, check out Bandai's Ben 10 Hyper Alien line. These vinyl figures have a darker and more menacing look.

  4. Xenos

    One correction: GI Joes are no longer in the 3 3/4" scale. Ever since they moved to the 25th Anniversary style of body Joes have been 4". So that puts Tygra here at something like a 4 1/4" scale.

  5. Mecha-Shiva

    After stalking my TRU for a week,I finally got Classics Lion-o and Tygra,I loved their plasticky goodness since they are the LJN toys with the perfect sculpts and added articulation.If anyone whines about gritty realism just get the equally awesome Mezco Lion-o,saw him for like $24.95 at TRU,I'd get him but I have no space.I love the new show but I really can't dig the new designs that looked like every other anime and Jrpg cliche…

  6. Dead Man Walking

    Blech. Just makes me lament that the TC's license didn't somehow end up in the 4H's hands.

  7. Mario

    Nice that Bandai sent you a sample.

    Now that you've gotten a taste, will it have you pick up more?

  8. Battle Catman

    The group pic is unintentionally hilarious–it's like everyone's got this "I don't want to be here!" expression on their face, and the fact that they're all looking in different directions helps sell it.

  9. I think it's just fine that these are so overtly toyish, but I wish they were more "realistic" in appearance 'cause he looks just fine next to Snake Eyes, scale-wise; he's taller, sure, but he's an alien, so it works. But he just doesn't look right next to him, and like Justin, I'm pretty much all about G.I.Joe. (I even found two G.I. Joe figures here in Pakistan the other day, which shocked the hell out of me; I think I'll try to buy one on every continent.)

    Speaking of Snake Eyes… review him already!

  10. Terrific review. Very informational, and some great images. I rarely venture out of G.I. Joe, and even more rarely venture outside of Hasbro's purview, but I intend on giving some of these a shot.

  11. chopa

    Nice. Wish I could find some of these guys in my area. Really diggin the new tygra design.
    Would probably not have noticed the stripes in the pics until you mentioned them.

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