Man, fourth place again! Just can't seem to get that little nudge that puts me into the top three! Aw well, maybe next time . . . . Anyway, next entry in my MOTU Hybrid line is a look at what should have been. Well, technically these are ALL "what should have been," since these are the toys we all WISH Mattel had made. But I digress, this one is a particularly egregious example of executive meddling, and yet, due to the awesomeness of the fandom AND the Four Horsemen, he STILL managed to become part of the greater canon. Let's hear it for Zodac!

MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. Of course, when your 2002 toy never gets released to the public, some improvisation will be required. Or a LOT of improvisation, as the case may be.

When he was originally developed for the 2002 animated relaunch of Masters of the Universe, the 1980s character Zodac (a "cosmic enforcer," a sort of intergalactic cop) was re-imagined as a much more alien being than his original incarnation. Once a muscle-bound humanoid like the rest of the He-Man crew, he was transformed by the Four Horsemen to fully live up to his cosmic title.

However, Mattel intervened during the production process. Apparently, they felt that the cast of the show "wasn't ethnic enough," and they demanded a minority character be added. The only candidate the Four Horsemen could think of (that wouldn't cause massive backlash in the fan community) was Zodac, So, they altered the character's appearance into a dark-skinned human with tribal tattoos, changed his backstory and name (from Zodac to Zodak . . . subtle), and made him a student of the "original" alien cosmic enforcer.

The first incarnation made it as far as prototype sculpt and joints before Mattel pulled the switch, and that version has been reproduced here, with more articulation and paint apps. No "official" color scheme for the alien version exists, so I based the paint off the original '80s character. Only three changes were made from the original Four Horsemen concept. First, his gun is slightly different, as it was made from the 2002 Zodak figure's staff, which had a similar but distinct design that I liked. Second, his gun clips into the belt on his left leg, a feature the original likely didn't have. And third, I gave the figure three toes on his boots, like the old '80s figure.

Base figure - Avatar Jake Sully
Shins, armor, head, helmet, weapon - 2002 MOTU Zodak
Hands - Ben 10 Spider-Monkey
Everything else - Sculpted head to toe

I'm particularly pleased with the silver flake paint job that makes his bodysuit and boots shift from black to gunmetal to almost silver in certain light. My photography may not do him justice, but he really looks fantastic in person.

It was a real joy bringing this character to life to rectify the errors of the past. As nice a design as the official 2002 Zodak actually ended up being (props to the Four Horsemen, as always), I really think this look would have added something original to the MOTU world. Nice to finally see him fully realized!

By the power of Grayskull!