Meowscles

So does his house have a toilet, or a litter box? He's one swole cat. The Battle Pass for Fortnite Season 7 introduced a character called Lynx, a techno/pop-punk girl. If you completed two sets of Weekly Challeneges during Season 7, you were rewarded with a loading screen - "Feline By Design" - that featured Lynx in her workspace, creating the sleek ninja outfit that was one of her alternate styles. This was back in 2018. Well, on a computer screen in the back of the image was a silly drawing of a cat's head on a human neck. Shortly after the loading screen came out, a fan turned that drawing into a full idea for a character skin, called "Buff Cat." A year later when Chapter 2 Season 2 came out, that fan art had become a real character, a member of Midas' spy team now named "Meowscles." Meowscles lives up to his "Buff Cat" origins by having a tall, well-built body. He's so big, in fact, that Jazwares has created a new Legendary Series "Brawlers" sub-line in larger packaging. So far it's just him and some lore character, but more are coming. Is Meowscles 7' tall in the game? I didn't think so, but the toy is definitely 7" tall. He's barechested, to show off those gains, bro, and is wearing skinny jeans, because this outfit was designed by a modern child. His pantlegs are cuffed above his brown work boots, and although he's wearing a belt, his twin holsters suggest a pair of suspenders - he's one scarf and beanie away from going full hipster. [never go full hipster --ed.] Of course, he'd never be able to grow a big stupid beard, because his head is a cat. An adorable little cat! As realistic as the human body is, the cat's head leans toward the cartoony. It has vertical, black, oval eyes and a curly W for a smile. Tufts of fur poke off the cheeks cutely, and his tiny ears stick straight up. Like so many of the Fortnite Legendary Series figures, Meowscles has an alternate face: this one with the eyes closed and the mouth in a wavy "crying anime girl" shape. You know what's missing, though? A face with giant eyes, as big as Peely's, to show he's scared/happy. Or trying to look innocent. Meowscles is apparently a calico cat, which means he has three colors of fur: white, orange, and black. Calicos are usually female (the gene linked to it is on the X chromosome, and males only have one of those), but his black patch is so small it might just be a random spot mutation; there are male calicos, but they're almost always sterile, and we know Meowscles has a son. He also has a tattoo on his right bicep, a black heart with the name "Lynx" inside it - guess we know why his picture was in her lab! Being in a larger size class does not mean Meowscles has different articulation. Well, he has a tail, so that needs a joint to move around, but the rest is the same: head, neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, fingers, chest, waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, and toes. A lot of the joints were surprisingly stiff, but the suspenders are soft PVC so they won't block the movement (it also means they tend to ride up, despite there being notches in the sculpt meant to help hold them in place). The important thing is he can easily perform his "Swole Cat" emote, a series of bodybuilding poses. Flex, pussycat! The Legendary Series Brawlers cost more than the regular releases, and part of that is the accessories. No, they don't come with more than usual, they come with one that has a "special feature" - in this case, a crossbow that can actually fire. Which, meh, if that's what you want, fine, but it's not that exciting. It isn't even colored like the ones in the game. The dual pistols that can fit in his holsters are nice, and the Solid Scratch harvesting tool is part of his set, but why not include the "Peow Peow Rifle" NPC Meowscles drops when you beat him? When Meowscles first appeared in the Chapter 2 Season 2 trailer (and the Battle Pass), we asked McFarlane Toys to add him to their lineup, figuring the size of those would work better, never expecting Jazwares would create an entire oversized sub-line. The important thing is we finally got this kitty, and he's great. -- 04/02/21

Tweet