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Commander of the Evil Horde, Hordak came to Eternia in hopes of conquering the planet. Based out of Snake Mountain, he took on an evil pupil, the man now known as Skeletor. With a hatred of of all things magical, Hordak has been defeated time and again by the power of Castle Grayskull.
NECA has teamed up with the sculpting team known as the Four Horsemen to create statues and busts based on the Masters of the Universe characters. These are classically styled busts, depicting mainly the head and upper torso, with the arms cut off at the shoulders. Ever since Bowen Designs started their popular line of comic minibusts, there have been a lot of entries into the format, but a lot of them aren't busts so much as they are statues that get cut off at the hips.
There's nothing "mini" about Hordak. This is truly a massive piece, measuring nearly 11" tall and dwarfing the Bowen busts. He was designed and sculpted by the Four Horsemen, artists who got their start with McFarlane Toys before gaining a measure of fame and setting out on their own. When they signed on with Mattel, they became the driving force behind the company's Masters of the Universe and Batman toy lines.
Hordak always looked like a bit of a spaz on the cartoon, but the Horsemen have managed to turn him into a real threat. He has a very bat-like visage, from the pointed bits of his bony face to the leathery cape that hangs from his shoulders. Since his symbol on the cartoon was a red bat crest, this makes good sense. The detail that these guys can pack into a subject this size makes the figures look plain by comparison.
The base of the bust is circular and capped by a symmetrical dome. The dome is then embellished with several character-specific details, such as Hordak's red bat sigil on the front and a grey spine on the back. The surface below those elements looks like cracked and pitted stone, with a few rivets driven in as well.
There's no dynamic pose in this bust - it's just Hordak's torso from head to waist (or, more accurately, from big pointy collar/armored neckpiece to ornate metal belt) with no arms, just the suggestion of his gray shoulders. He's leaning back slighty and looking imperious, that big white face glaring at you with its bright red eyes.
The Hordak Convention Exclusive Bust is limited to only 750 pieces and was available only through SDCC, Wizard World Chicago or someone who went to one of those conventions and decided to resell. To appease He-Man fans who couldn't make it to the cons but still want the character, a regular edition of the bust will be available in early 2005. That version will have a black base instead of this version's metallic red.
How big do you like your busts? Tell us on our message board, The Loafing Lounge.
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