It’s a little strange with the ThunderCats. I loved the show back then, but actually I couldn’t remember almost anything now. When Crooked Dice first announced the enemy set around Mumm-Ra, I immediately rewatched the old intro on Youtube and suddenly a lot of things were present again. I also watched one or two episodes, but quickly realized that some things should be reserved for nostalgic memories. Still, it was clear that I had to have the miniatures and when Crooked Dice also announced the team of heroes, I finally couldn’t wait. Thundercats! Hoooo!
I can’t really tell you anything about the series or the individual characters – unfortunately, there’s hardly anything left. Interesting how you internalize some childhood memories and carry them with you throughout your life and how others fade. I still think the design of the figures is pretty cool, though, and Crooked Dice’s miniatures are once again beyond reproach. First, I turned my attention to the hero team around Lion-O. Mumm-Ra and his minions will have to be patient, I’m afraid. However, painting was a lot of fun and it was nice to dive back into this part of my childhood.
In case you don’t remember ThunderCats (or don’t know it at all), here’s the intro:
ThunderCats – The good guys! Hoooo!
The ThunderCats are stranded on a planet after their homeworld was destroyed. However, the planet is not uninhabited: the undead Mumm-Ra is also stranded there with his mutants and from now on seeks the lives of the cat people. The ThunderCats, however, have a strong fighter at their head in their leader Lion-O, who can take on the enemies with his “Sword of Omen”.
As usual for such teams, all members have distinctive designs, strengths and weaknesses, and special skills in combat.
While Lion-O is the somewhat impetuous leader and versatile fighter, Tygra is the veteran of the troop and often something like the voice of reason. Pantro is not only strong, he is also a mechanic and drives the Thundermobile into battle, for example. Of course, I was looking for a model, but did not find anything to scale and that is certainly better…
Cheetara is very fast and, as the team’s token female, unfortunately also a cliché of the era. Why they didn’t get more creative with a hero team of cat people and put in more strong, female characters is something only the male creatives behind the series know. But sure, it was the ’80s.
What I like about Crooked Dice’s miniatures is that they are full of character and immediately have a high recognition value. Cheetara could have been depicted with a weapon, but I like the sprinting posture. Probably it would have been difficult to accommodate the battle staff.
Actually, the team consists of even more members. Crooked Dice have now published only these four for the time being. Rumor has it that designer Ernst Veingart is already working on the expansion.
The villain team is still to come, but right after that I started working on He-Man. 80’s, baby! ThunderCats! Hoooo!
