Warduke (NECA)

I've never been super big on Dungeons and Dragons. I tried, but pen and paper RPG just isn't for me. However, I've loved the old D&D cartoon since childhood. During it's time, I had a lot of fun with the toy line by LJN and the assorted kids books and stuff. I was actually quite disapointed that I couldn't get into the game itself despite multiple tries. The occasinal video game, sure, just can't do pen and paper RPG. That being said, how I've enjoyed D&D lead to me appreciation of one of the most badass villains of all time. Warduke.

I've actually spoken about my admiration for Warduke here before. This weird occult flavored cousin of Darth Vader who of course set off the Satanic Panic folks back in the day. My original action figure was destroyed thanks to a jealous cousin and replacing it hasn't worked out in my favor. There's various homages to him in independent toys (especially in the Glyos area), and I did luckily find his Funko Pop a while back. NECA recently has put out some premium D&D figures including the Duke of War here. Thankfully he was a birthday gift from my wife who absolutely spoils me on holidays.

NECA nailed it with this incarnation of Warduke. He looks 100% like you'd expect a 'serious collector' premium toy to look. All of his classic design is here with leveled up detailing and paint. I'm especially fond of the metallic pain on his helmet and the flame effect that can be attached to his sword. Warduke has his additional daggers and short sword as well as his trademark shield. They're all sorts of magical and NECA made them look it. The figure has a ton of articulation so the EVIL ACTION FIGURE can be put in all sorts of menacing poses. There's also a range of extra hands for this purpose.

Warduke is one of those characters that I keep on an untouchable high shelf. Thankfully this figure really drive home some of that prestige. He's pretty large, about 6 inches and scales pretty well with Masterverse figures from what I've seen in MOTU groups. Despite being from different series, he fits in nicely there. Warduke comes from that same 80's fantasy boom that He-Man came from, and both respective toy lines set off the Satanic Panic alarms of the time. This is an amazingly great figure of an all time favorite villain of mine. I'm definitely glad to have it and grateful of my wife for giving it to me.

Weekly Halloween: Unclean and Unspoken

 

It's not uncommon to be told something spooky as a child as a way to keep you in line. One childhood horror of mine was not to talk about the devil or say the word hell. Doing so would cause the devil to visit me in my sleep. Now obviously this was partially a easy way to keep kids from having a potty mouth and probably a little of that Satanic Panic I've talked so much about here. 

It's safe to say, the idea of the devil visiting you while sleeping is enough to mortify any 6 year old. This extended to various visages of the devil and other demons. It was already pretty scary for a small child, but adding in the additional danger of that night time visitation? Sometimes I wasn't sure the adults were taking it serious enough. The devil would show up randomly, unexpected, terrifying a young me. Lunch wasn't even safe. Satanic forces were lurking everywhere.

Which is why the commercial I've posted above hits particularly hard. I was so uncomfortable with Dirt Devil vacuums, it was a small relief that my parents never bought one. We were a Black and Decker household thankfully. Of course now I have a Dirt Devil and so far no unholy visitations (that I know of). But I still remember when such evil things were unspoken.

I was a kid, ok?

Weekly Halloween: Vampires at the Park

 

I've mentioned the Satanic Panic that was running rampant during my childhood before... and that's why I can't hear this song without strongly thinking about it. Add in the particular dramatic nature of teenagers and you've got probably one of the most ridiculous things one could be afraid of. Everyone is accustomed to the goth kids in high school, but they're a little bit of an oddity still when you're only in elementary. Headbangers? Oh yeah, you knew about those. Punks and Goths? That took a little growing to understand more. So there I was in the era of Satan around every corner and everything being a satanic message. For the record, I also had a teen-aged brother and his friends filling me about things. 

I knew about the cult that sacrificed people in the woods behind school (that one may have been real), and how Dio stood for Devil Inside Out (no really). Those kids in all black at the park? They were vampires. They worshiped the devil and drank blood. The guy who worked at the Circle K who was really into Ozzy Osbourne also worshiped the devil and drank blood, however wasn't a vampire. Just really evil. So here I was, a kid (those aren't easily scared, are they?) being told the honest truth about all these horrors going on all around me. 

Then the Lost Boys came out and that teen-aged brother and his friends? They might have been into the new hot movie for teenagers that just came out. With a popular song and music video! Lou Gramm may look fancy with his poofy man perm, but that's pure terror in that music video. Scenes of that movie with vampires that look like those kids at the park. Lou Gramm and ... whoever that kid is... stuck on the trailer from King of the Road with a bunch of ... are they vampires?

My point is that it terrified me for a few weeks there. I'd like to say it left me traumatized... but I was a kid and moved onto other things that was apparently also satanic. Before I went through my own all black clothing phase, I was also apparently satanic. This though was because I was a weird kid and liked scary stuff. Why the hell do I look back fondly on my childhood again?

Riders on the Styx

 

Dragonriders of the Styx was a fantasy line from the early 80's that's mostly forgotten about now. Probably thanks to being sued out of existence by TSR due to it's obvious unlicensed inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons. Made by Dimensions for Children, which is a pretty bad name for a toy company. I mainly remember getting the toys from discount and drug stores, but the larger sets could be found at regular retail. Initially the line started off with 'army man' style figures with themed play sets. Later it expanded into 3 3'4 action figures with various creatures and vehicles. 

My brother and I the entire standard carded figure assortment and some of those 'army man' play sets. Satanic Panic was a thing at the time, and like He-Man, I can understand it a little here. Toys like Duelin' Devils and Demons of Castleon might raise a suspicious eye or two. Lot's of these fantasy toys at the time had some really awesome horror art on the packaging that probably skirted the line for the intended audience. I can definitely appreciate it now though and not be cynical at all when people ask what's wrong with me. 

Earlier I mentioned mainly getting the toys from discount and drug stores. That's probably likely to getting sued out of existence by TSR. The realities of toy liquidation never crossed my mind when I was 6. The 'army men' style figures got bootlegged heavily, I was finding them up to the early 90's. I strongly remember getting the Wizard shown above on Halloween night. Mom was taking us home after a great night of trick or treating. We went to neighborhoods with my cousin, ate McDonald's, then trick or treated at the mall! I was Spider-Man. It was awesome.