Trapjaw

I would love to know what Trapjaw's story is. I remember in the old comics that used to come with the figures, Skeletor opened some dimensional gateway in an effort to get into Greyskull, and Trapjaw escaped from his native world to Eternia, where Skeletor and He-Man had to team-up to stop him. In the new cartoon, Trapjaw was seen with Keldor's minions before getting his mechanical arm and bright metal jaw. So what's up with him? A look at the cartoon's official website reveals one potential tale: A thuggish brute, Trap-Jaw was once a human named Kronis, a thief who terrorized and pillaged the good people of Eternia. Kronis joined Keldor's forces years ago, helping him build his power base. In an explose battle, Kronis was captured and locked away by the then Captain Randor. When Keldor rampaged through Eternia, he freed Kronis, but he mutilated his arm and destroyed his face in the process. Keldor and Tri-Klops later rebuilt Kronis into Trap-Jaw. Trap-Jaw can transform his bionic appendage into a hook, claw and laser cannon, among other devices. He uses it to devastating effect against He-Man. Not bad, I guess, except that "Kronis" was seen in the pilot episode whole, hale, and hearty. Pre-Trapjaw (that's how he's listed on the package, which is different than the current cartoon and the old series). He looks like some kind of screwed up pirate. A skull and crossbones can be seen on his belt, and he does have that hook hand. Only thing he's lacking is a peg leg, parrot, and eye-patch. Okay, so he's missing quite a bit. But still, he just screams "pirate." I don't care if it's in the comic or on the cartoon, but I want to see a story that focuses on Trapjaw. Trapjaw is a fine example not only of how to update a classic property (pay attention, Hasbro), but also a barometer of how far toymaking has come in the past twenty years. Every detail of the old figure has been preserved, from big black boots to the incongruous eyelet on his helmet. He's got the same three weapons - claw, hook, and gun - though they've been updated and redesigned. His mechanical arm has much more detail than ever before. The ridiculous big green belt is back, with a silver skull and spaces to hang the weapons. His physique (while still cartoony) is more proportional, at least, than the '80s version. He's got a metallic silver hand, blue skin, and a greenish face. Of course, Trapjaw just wouldn't be Trapjaw without his red metal mouth, though there is a bit of a problem with it: the spring-loaded jaw is too flat. It connects to his face at the cheek, like it should, but extends directly from there to his chin. It lacks the bend that a jaw should have, so his face looks truncated from the side. I think this was done so the jaw could be opened fully, but it just looks wrong. Of course, he's got a blue body and a green face, so who am I to complain? Trapjaw also seems a little short compared to the other figures; in fact, he's barely taller than Ram-Man. While it's possible that Trapjaw is just a short fellow, I think that his stature may have more to do with a molding error than a design choice - perhaps the mold was sized incorrectly, which is why he suffers so. Of course, it could also be that he was made smaller so that giant arm could fit inside the packaging. The interchangeable weapons are all nicely done; the hook is menacing, the claw is articulated in two spots for a wider range of motion, and the blaster is intricately detailed (even if it fits better upside down). Tiny latches on the hook and claw allow them to hang from Trapjaw's belt, and the gun plugs into his back. Additionally, the mechanical arm has a spring-loaded elbow joint; flex it in either direction, and it snaps back to the center when released (though oddly, the packaging attributes this feature to his "human" arm). Trapjaw was my favorite He-Man villain back in the day, cooler even than Skeletor. I absolutely love this new version, even if his jaw is slightly off. The Four Horsemen did a brilliant job updating this guy, and he looks more terrifying than ever. So, what do you think of Trapjaw's story? Prefer the comic or the cartoon? Make up your own and tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.