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Packaging - ***
It’s your basic blister package, with the new green scaly card designed for the Snakemen waves. A photo of Khan on the right side of the bubble is a nice touch – making him easier to find on the pegs (if he ever reached store pegs – but more on that later). The back of the card gives the most basic pictorial information on the figure and other figures in recent waves. Sufficient packaging, but nothing exciting.
Sculpting - ***
Khan, like all the other MOTU figures, was sculpted by the peerless Four Horsemen, and so he’s got plenty of the cool intricate details and design we’ve come to expect. He’s suitably scaly, lean, menacing, and snake-like. His skin is even marked by very slight cuts and scratches, indicating past battle wounds. Having him sculpted with an open hood – something I so badly wished his 80s predecessor sported when I was a kid – is an excellent bonus, although unfortunately the hood is sculpted in a color of plastic that doesn’t really match the rest of the figure.
Great as Khan is, however, he just doesn’t stand among the best the MOTU line has given us so far. He may be a great figure, but standing alongside such amazing figures as Skeletor, Trap-Jaw, and Whiplash, he’s merely adequate.
Paint - ***
Khan’s paint job is sufficient and mostly clean. There are a few issues with his fangs (the white doesn’t quite make it all the way to his
gum line) and other minor nits here and there, but nothing to complain about. He’d probably look better with a few more points of application to bring out the sculpting detail a bit better, but as is, he fits in well detail-wise with the rest of the line.
Articulation - ***
With upper jaw, neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed hips, wrists, and waist, Khan is one of the most-articulated figures in the line. With no plastic loincloth in the way, he can actually sit down (well… somewhat) and even do the splits. The wrist articulation allows for many cool poses with his gun. On the slightly negative side, his head articulation is somewhat limited by his hood (and he really only looks good when looking straight forward).
Accessories - ***
He comes with one – a spring-loaded gun. A nice touch is the missile to the gun which is sculpted like a little cobra, complete with open hood. And while the gun is true to the original figure from the 80s, I wish it was a bit smaller – like Man-E-Faces’ gun, it’s just too darn big. But on the plus side, it can be held in either of Khan’s hands, with one finger resting on the trigger.
Action Feature - ***
I must confess I’m not about to test Khan’s action feature. Like his 80’s predecessor, Khan’s head pops off, allowing you to fill his torso with water. Press his head down, and he sprays “venom.” Other collectors have reported that the feature works well, although some have reported leakage problems along Khan’s crotch seam. (Insert obvious joke here.)
Value - ***
This puppy is worth $7 - $8, just like the rest of the line. Find it for that, and not only are you getting a great value, but you’ve also found a figure about as rare as Bigfoot himself. (See below.)
Overall - ***
Obviously, this is a 3-star figure across the board. He’s good, but not great, when compared to the rest of the line. Definitely a must-have for MOTU collectors.
Where to Buy -
Ah, there’s the rub. About the only place you’re likely to score a Kobra Khan right now is eBay, where he’s going for $25 - $35. He barely hit retail (if at all), and all on-line stores that sell by the case have sold out of his assortment. Whether or not he’ll eventually hit retail in force is yet to be revealed by Mattel.
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