PHOTO REVIEW: Kuso Vinyl Thundercraps Boxed Set

[JeffSaylor]

Art Toys Bring Out the Silly Side of Thundercats...

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Have a fondness for vinyl figures? Love everything Thundercats-related? Then you just might be interested in the Thundercraps by Kuso Vinyl! Unique characters that may seem more than a little familiar to you, Thundercraps utilize the Spiki figure and are designed by artist Rotobox.

The first Thundercraps, Lion-Oh Really and Tigrowl, were released as SDCC exclusives last year and subsequently a small run of artist proofs online. At Anime Expo last week Kuso Vinyl debuted a new box set of three figures: Succumb to the Dark Side Evil Lion-Oh Really, Winter Wrap-Up Siberian Tigrowl, and Cheatarah. The first two are “repaints” of the initial figure releases in darker palettes while Cheatarah is an all-new design. She came in two versions, the OG Colorway in orange (depicted here) and a “chase” metallic Show Me the Money Honey Goldigger variant.

Spiki figures are 3 ¾ inches tall with articulation at the neck, “shoulders,” and “hips.” They also have cute curly tails that plug into their backs. All of the figures share the exact same mold, so if you have one you know what all of the rest will look like and do. The Spiki body has been used quite a bit for different characters, but it really works well for the feline Thundercraps. Of course, it’s the painting that makes these figures, a combination of familiar patterns and designs from Thundercats and a unique vinyl style. All of the painting on the figures I’ve seen has been very well done with bold lines and solid colors.

The Thundercraps aren’t a very optimistic group as is evidenced by the packaging for this new trio. A straightforward tri-window box, this red monolith features the logos for Thundercraps, Kuso, and the various artists involved on the front panel. Check out the top for the feline team’s odd motto, “life is like a toilet bowl of crap.” And if you think that’s weird, you’ll find on the side panels that the weapon of choice of Lion-Oh Really is none other than the Sword of Erection. Folks, I couldn’t make this stuff up.

The coolest thing about the packaging here is the back that’s dominated by an adorable lineup of current and future (?) Thundercraps. In addition to the current three characters you’ll see the Spiki form used for the “kittens” and something like Snarf. Since those won’t require any new molds it’s likely we’ll see them released eventually. Not as certain are the figures like Panthro and Mumm-Ra since they’d require at least new head parts. If you want to see the rest of these Thundercraps made then let Kuso know!

I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of vinyl figures but I’m really enjoying these. They’re cute, recognizable as “just like” Thundercats characters, a manageable size, and they even have a little articulation. Thundercraps are not usually for sale except at conventions and through special announcements so stay tuned to KusoVinyl.com and Figures.com for all vinyl figure news.

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

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