If you were expecting the Crimson Avenger article I promised last week… well, I got distracted.* We don’t normally do Masters of the Universe in this column, cause well, there’s two options when it comes to MOTU stuff. Either I’m going to be asking for something sooner rather than later (Kronis getting two arms is more about absorbing Man-E-Faces’ cost, right?) or I’m going to be silly and go for a lost cause (like the Wind Raider Pilot). But today’s featured figure might straddle that line. He’s one of those characters like Ram-Man or King Hiss that’s going to require a lot of tooling on Mattel’s part. That makes him definitely later rather than sooner and possibly a lost cause if things go awry.

* – Distracted yet again, I should say. This happens a lot behind-the-scenes. I have one friend that’s been waiting for Attuma to make his way into this column for weeks. Maybe next year?

But no figure should be a lost cause when it comes to MOTU Classics. I don’t know how much money the line makes, but I can surmise that they planned those initial small runs to generate a worthwhile profit. Since then, the runs have more than doubled and even the “less wanted” figures blowout in less than a week, so I think it’s safe to say that MOTUC is a success for Mattel. It may not be the tens of thousands of units sold that DC Classics brings at retail, but in terms of expectations vs. results, MOTUC has to be a smash hit. And that should translate to more unique, and possibly one-off, tooling sooner rather than later. Extendar’s chances should be improving with every sellout.

Yep, Extendar. I never had him as a kid, but I knew of him. He looked cool back then and I see the possibilities even now. He may not be on that many people’s top ten lists, but that’s why he’s getting love today. We’ve got Facebook people clamoring for Ninjor on a daily basis. Sorceress and Spikor are winning MOTU Idol right now. They’ve got their support nailed down, but I don’t see as much for Extendar. A lot of folks think the tooling really puts the kibosh on him. They’re probably right, but that hasn’t stopped me in the past. Today, I’m here for the Heroic Master of Extension.

If you fell out of MOTU towards the end, you might not be as familiar with Extendar. He’s a post-cartoon character, so his appearances are limited to the toy itself and a handful of comic appearances. His origin has some variations*, but the basic gist is that he was a normal dude that Hordak felt he could improve upon. A few surgeries and a brainwash later, Hordak perfected the “Tower of Power” and unleashed him upon He-Man. But through sheer force of will, Extendar remembered he wasn’t a bad guy and joined with the Heroic Masters. Gotta love that. Plus, he’s super tough, even invincible when he’s at full height.**

* – Don’t they all? I may not love all the new Bios, but man some of this stuff needs pinned down.

** – This has never made sense to me. It should be opposite, shouldn’t? That he’s invincible when hunkered down, but when he extends, his powers are stretched and he becomes vulnerable. As it is, if you’re fighting regular Extendar and you piss him off, he gets bigger and then you’re… royally screwed instead of totally screwed? Good job, He-Man.

The first issue for Mattel decide about Extendar is actually his bulk. The toy itself was bulky because of the action feature, but his comic appearances usually showcased him as the same size as everyone else. If the 4H can conceive a way to make Extendar as a basic buck with armor, then bulk won’t be a problem. It will occur naturally like Randor and He-Ro. But, if he’s simply going to have to be done with an all-new sculpt, then maybe that’s a sign to make him less bulky. That’s pretty simple. Mattel could just step aside and let reality and reuse dictate his size, but even then, everything still hinges on that crucial action feature.

Now, I have a beef with Mattel about action features. What does action feature mean exactly? Scareglow glows in the dark. So does Zodak – at least part of him. I guess those are painted-on action features, so they’re okay. Battle Armor He-Man would have required an internal mechanism, lots of little parts, and that wouldn’t cost out. I get that. The interchangeable plates, while exceptionally lame, will work for me in that instance. Dragstor shouldn’t be Rev ‘N Go. It’s regrettable, but true. But Man-E-Faces? Maybe I’m just not creative enough, but there is nothing Mattel can do to make Man-E-Faces less simple. It’s a knob on his head that rotates the faces around. Interchangeable faces? Silly. Different heads? Stupid. His action feature just needs to be done. But does that apply to Extendar? Can his action feature be duplicated more simply? Sort of.

Some fans have suggested that he just get swappable parts. Regular arms and extended arms, for example. It could work, but that’s a lot of limbs in one package. Others suggest snap-op parts. I’m just gonna say no to that one. It’s cute on Brave & the Bold Plastic Man, but not so much on a MOTUC.

The quick photoshop to the left is essentially what needs to happen and I think there are two ways to achieve it. One, to just do it the right way. Like Man-E-Faces, it’s not complicated on the surface. If the boot and glove pegs had built-in rods to extend that’d work for them. The head could be similar, but articulation would probably get lost. And the ab crunch is in direct conflict with any waist extension. So maybe that won’t work after all.

Mattel has suggested that Mekaneck’s head will likely pop off and the neck extension be placed between the two pieces. This same idea can serve Extendar. Create the figure normally, but let the six extension areas be easily separated and have struts that can snap between them. I’m convinced this will work, but it brings us back to the original problem – 100% new tooling that has virtually no reuse capability. And while I am firmly in the camp that Mattel is making the profit to reinvest in these new tools quicker, there is a simple solution to making the unreusable parts more profitable. Reuse them.

First, the inevitable MOTUC Horde Trooper could be made to reuse parts from Extendar. They didn’t look the same back in the day, but you could infer that Hordak had a hand in the trooper design, so I don’t think it’s a terrible idea. Of course, judging from the reaction to Evil Lyn’s repaint status, I might have to avoid Facebook and the.Org for a couple days if Mattel announces they made that decision. It could get ugly. So, I’m going to one up that idea. Now, I know that some fans already get incensed when a figure like the Goddess or Zodak gets made before one of their childhood favorites, and those people are going to hate this idea, but life’s tough sometimes.

My real suggestion is new characters. This is something MOTUC desperately needs. Sure, we can all play the nostalgia game until we’ve driven it into the ground, but let’s face it – endless possibilities is what makes MOTU cool. MOTUC doesn’t have that yet because Mattel is still working on catering to decades old wants. Forget that. I want Scareglow to have a cat to ride. I want Battle Armor Faker. I want the Wind Raider bad enough to accept a second one in the classic black/red motif of the Evil Master’s vehicles. And so, I go back to that notion that Hordak made Extendar. His failure? Using an inherently good dude as the test subject. So what’s any savvy mad scientist going to do? Try again. This time with a dastardly subject. Someone who’s evil only multiplies with telescopic terror. That’s right, give Extendar an evil counterpart. What was once a one-time use tool instantly becomes two. A new character for us and mold reuse for Mattel? That’s win-win.

Anyway, you might look at Extendar and dismiss him. He might not be as flashy and well-remembered as some others in the MOTUverse, but he’s part of that diverse cast and no MOTU shelf would be complete without him. Plus, I think Mattel needs to show us a 100% new, possibly one-use, tool before the end of year two. I know there’s Teela, but that’s the girl buck. I know there’s Battle Cat, but that’s got three built-in uses even if Mattel doesn’t get creative (please, Mattel get creative – I want Scareglow to have a ride). Let’s see a character like Ram-Man, Mosquitor, or Extendar in 2010. Let’s see Mattel show us they mean business.

On a final note, I’m a little more excited for a character like Extendar that missed out on his 200x chance. He received no updated figure, no staction. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even seen control art for what that might have looked like. Extendar needs some love and he’ll be a great addition to MOTUC. And like I said at the beginning, I’d prefer to get him sooner rather than later.

Want to see Extendar? Please take a moment to leave a comment below voicing your support (or lack thereof).