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Topless Toy Chest: Comikaze Exclusive STANDOR (Stan Lee) Masters of the Universe Figure


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The first thing a buyer would notice about Standor here is not anything you can see in the picture above: the price. This figure cost me $35. Even for a convention exclusive, that’s steep in the Masters of the Universe Classics world, and normally the price tag of an oversize/deluxe figure like Ram-Man, Queen Marlena or Modulok. Given what I hear was the general disarray of Comikaze, it’s entirely possible Melissa got ripped off when picking this up for me, by someone who just didn’t know what they were doing at the booth – but this is too much for all but the completionist or diehard Stan Lee fan…and I am one of those two things (I suspect the extras may cost less when Mattycollector inevitably unloads them online).

Standor came about as the result of a new partnership between Mattel and Stan Lee, which is a tad unexpected since he’s Mr. Marvel, and Mattel is more associated with DC. It’s possible this figure costs more because it’s the only MOTUC figure so far to feature a specific celebrity likeness (Scott Neitlich does not count), but we were also told funds for this didn’t come out of the regular MOTUC budget. Regardless, it is a very nice likeness.

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So the figure is basically Stan Lee on steroids, literally. The biography on the back, metaphorically so. While the real Stan Lee occasionally takes full credit for characters he cocreated with a lot of help from artists like Jack Kirby, this fictional Stan Lee is a god who created ALL LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

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It’s funny, given Mattel’s desire to give all these characters “real names” (Rob rightfully raged against Hordak being redubbed “Hec-tor Kur”), that a guy with an ACTUAL real name doesn’t get one here. As for the bio, I expect the recently passed Scheim-or and the Deity of Litigation, Don Gluteus Maximus, might dispute his claim to universe creation in this sphere…but such disputes are nothing new to Standor, whose action feature is ignoring them all while glittering enough to get everyone looking his way. Yes, there is glitter in his armor.

Speaking of action features, there’s a weird tab sculpted into his back, which is the sort of thing Mattel usually makes to duplicate a vintage action lever that now does nothing. No idea what it’s doing here.

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Adjusting the colors a little reveals a design influence – this is basically Stan Lee as Galactus. Devourer of worlds probably seems appropriate to Jack Kirby’s heirs.

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I don’t think the glasses work for a god, who would presumably have all powerful eyesight. They do work if you want to use the Stan Lee head on another body (oh, we’ll get to that, fear not).

But god armor got me thinking…was there another character in canon who became a god? Maybe in a movie, perhaps? It takes some tight squeezing, but indeed you can make this…

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“The alpha, and the omega!”

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“And as you die…so shall I be RE…BORN!”

Even without the headdress, this makes a decent alt-body for Skeletor.

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There’s also one quality control issue on mine that makes him slightly better for this – a weird bubbling in the bicep plastic. It works for a dead guy’s battle injury, but doesn’t seem quite right on a god.

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Took me a day or so to notice it, but now it’s annoying. While we’re playing with heads, a much looser fit is the alternate Zodak head that came with Strobo.

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But what of the Stan Lee head? Oh, there’s lots of potential there.

Spider-Stan, Spider-Stan…

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“I’m Bat-Stan!”

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Stan-at-Arms!

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So, look: the value for money on this figure is not too good. But he’s definitely a lot of fun, whatever your feelings on Stan Lee…and believe it or not, I don’t hate the guy. I just really, really like having some fun with his sacred image.