Thundercats Classics Mumm-Ra Staction Figure

A "staction figure" is a statue made to resemble an action figure (scale, paint and materials), but without any articulation. McFarlane Toys really began the trend, I think, but weren't savvy enough to admit to it. Later,  NECA made them cool with their Masters of the Universe 200x Stactions, sculpted by the stellar Four Horsemen.

Newcomers Icon Heroes have released their first "staction": Mumm-Ra The Ever-Living (they actually released a Lion-O previously, but that one is a straight-up statue in my mind, as it's made of resin, while Mumm-Ra is fashioned of a more traditional action-figurey plastic).

He's done in a 7" scale, standing a bit over 9" tall and 11" wide from cape-tip to cape-tip.

 The pose is taken directly from the original cartoon, I suppose, though I haven't come across the actual scene yet. There's a moment in the opening where Mumm-Ra becomes the Ever-Living, but his hands are fists, and this version features open claws, so I'm guessing the pose comes from a different moment in the show, though I can't be sure. The pose is an absolute strength of the figure. Mumm-Ra is looming forward menacingly, with a ghastly grimace and whipping ribbons everywhere. Honestly, if he was an action figure, this is the pose I'd keep him in on the shelf, anyway, so I don't mind the lack or articulation at all.

The figure is highlighted and airbrushed beautifully; the shades are subtle enough to suggest shadows and heighten detail, rather than being overdone and messy.

The sculpt is truly terrific. Mumm-Ra features tons of detail, from his superhuman musculature to the ribbons whipping about him. 

His cuffs and shinguards are appropriately metallic, while the ribbons and loincloth are nicely wrinkled. 

With nothing else to rely on but how it looks, a statue needs to be visually stunning and this one certainly is! My only slight complaint is with the length of his arms- they look a little stubby to me. I think a bit of that has to do with the exaggerated musculature, but it is what it is.

My only other major concern is with Mumm-Ra's "lean". It's quite steep- to the point where I'm worried about the constant pressure it's putting on the fairly thin ankles. I've tried a hot-water bath twice to straighten his posture, but he keeps returning to the looming position. Mumm-Ra came with a stand (a simple black oval) and one removable peg (why one? there are two holes, why not include 2 pegs?), which is allowing him to fight gravity a little better than he would without, but I'm constantly worried that he's going to take a dive off the shelf. 

Mumm-Ra comes in a nice window box, sporting some neat features of its own. Mumm-Ra's symbol adorns the box front-and-center, red on black. The 2 front panels open to reveal the window, and Mumm-Ra, along with some stellar art-work.

 I like how the Thundercats Classic logo is consistent even though Bandai, Mezco and Icon Heroes are creating figures independently of one another: the lettering and artwork seems to match across each of the companies' products (Bandai 8" figures, Mezco's 14" Mega-scale Lion-O and Icon Heroes Mumm-Ra). The art-work itself is spectacular- full of dynamic detail.

The interior artwork is no less spectacular, featuring Mumm-Ra's famous saying, spread across all three panels.

"Ancient Spirits of Evil, Transform this Decayed Form To...Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living!"

A nice touch is the included background of the center panel, which shows Mumm-Ra's skull sarcophagus lair. It's advertised as a "diorama insert", but I have no idea what that means- to me it's just a cardboard backing with a fancy name.

The box back shows off the staction along with the previously released Lion-O statue, and a section that shows Mumm-Ra through its stages of development.

 Included are shots of the cartoon pose the figure is based on, the concept art and an in-progress sculpt shot (you can see where the guard detail on the right shin is still incomplete). It's a pretty cool and unique look into the process involved in getting a figure done from concept to production.

I've got to say, I love this figure. I don't have many static figures in my collection, but this one is a gem. I was a little hesitant at first, but the sculpt and paint really won me over once I had Mumm-Ra in hand. In fact, I'm so taken by this figure that I'm planning to buy the future releases in the line (Jaga and Jackalman have been advertised for pre-order on several sights, but I've unfortunately heard that the release of those two figures is being pushed back to early 2012). Mumm-Ra is a great statue figure (if not a bit expensive), one that I'm glad to have as part of my collection!

Here's Icon Heroes Classic Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living alongside the Bandai 6" Modern Version Mumm-Ra for size comparison.