Tag Archives: Tarzan: Epic Adventures

#4098: Tarzan of Mars

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

TARZAN OF MARS

TARZAN: EPIC ADVENTURES (TRENDMASTERS)

Way back in February, I took a look at Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first enduring pulp hero, John Carter.  But John’s not really his most famous creation.  That would be Tarzan, occasional lord of the jungle, occasional Disney property, and definitely the one of the two that gets the more prominent merchandise push. The John Carter figure I reviewed back in February was actually part of a line of Tarzan figures, and I’ve apparently not actually reviewed anything Tarzan here on the site, so I guess here’s a Tarzan, but of a more Mars-y variety than usual.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Tarzan of Mars was released in Trendmasters’ Tarzan: Epic Adventures line in 1995.  He was, like the John Carter figure, released under the “Conqueror of Mars” subline, first in a two-pack alongside one of the Plantmen, and then in a few other configurations as the line progressed.  The figure stands (or, rather, much like John, crouches) 3 1/2 inches tall and he has 3 points of articulation.  Articulation is just at the neck and shoulders, but he’s at least got slightly better range than John.  His sculpt is mostly unique.  The head is shared with all the smaller Tarzans, but otherwise he’s new.  It’s an interesting design, not based on anything specific that I know of.  It’s certainly got quite a Warlord vibe to it, which isn’t a terrible vibe to give a Mars-themed Tarzan.  The posing is quite intense, and like John, the resulting proportions are certainly a bit odd.  The arms in particular are a lot longer than they should be, and also I don’t think they’re the same length.  Tarzan is screaming, which definitely makes more sense for him than it did for John, so I can dig it.  Tarzan’s color work sports a nice selection of differing colors, to keep him visually interesting, while also staying true to most depictions of the character.  His skin tone is notably a little different from John, which feels appropriate.  Tarzan was packed with a helmet, spear, and knife.  The helmet is by far the coolest piece, but all of them are pretty neat extras.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When this line came out, my Dad was set on getting a full run of the Barsoom related characters, which also included the various alien races.  Since Tarzan was packed with on of those, he bought the whole set, and gave me, a kid far more invested in Tarzan than anyone else in the line, the Tarzan, making this my first Tarzan action figure, albeit a slightly non-standard one.  He’s goofy, but I still really dig him, and he remains my favorite Tarzan figure in my collection.

#4010: John Carter

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

JOHN CARTER

TARZAN: THE EPIC ADVENTURES (TRENDMASTERS)

“The Warlord of Mars!  Faster, smarter and a better swordsman than any Martian warrior, John Carter has no equal!”

Writer Edgar Rice Burroughs is perhaps best know for his creation Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, but Tarzan isn’t actually Burroughs’ first enduring pulp hero.  That would be the star of his “Barsoom” series, John Carter, Warlord of Mars.  John Carter is a precursor to…well, just about every major sci-fi hero since, so, you know, kind of a big deal.  Despite his significance in the world of fiction, John’s not had the same level of success as Tarzan.  They both had Disney movies, but one has a Phil Collins soundtrack that shaped a generation, and the other is the victim of executive in-fighting and got essentially no merchandising.  Tarzan’s gotten a lot of merch over the years, especially action figures.  Carter?  Well, he’s got a couple.  Here’s one of them.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

John Carter was released as part of Trendmasters’ 1995 Tarzan: The Epic Adventures line, specifically under its “Conqueror of Mars” sub-line.  He was available one of three ways.  First, as part of a two-pack with the Thark O Mad Zad, then in a larger nine figure boxed set, and then finally alongside his wife Deja Thoris.  The figure stands (or crouches, anyway) 3 1/2 inches tall and he has 3 points of articulation.  Movement is limited to swivels at the neck and both shoulders.  None of the joints are fully unobstructed, especially the shoulders, but there’s a bit of variety to be had nonetheless.  The sculpt to this guy is unique.  He’s sporting some intricate armor, which is a little larger and more involved than we usually see John in, but it’s also not totally out of place.  He’s incredibly pre-posed, to the point that a Total Justice figure looks tame.  He’s got a very serious deep lunge going on.  All of that pre-posing makes the exact proportions of John seem…off?  The arms are most certainly too long for the rest of the body, but at least they’re bent at the elbows, so as to better hide it.  His head is a reasonable enough rendition of John.  The scream is kind of an odd choice, as that’s more of a Tarzan thing, but it works in a sort of action oriented sense.  John’s color work feels pretty true to the illustrations of the character.  He’s kind of orange, but less-so than Deja Thoris, suggesting it’s just from all the time he’s spent on the red planet.  John was packed with a sword and small pistol, allowing for him to really get into that action-oriented orientation.  For action.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew Tarzan from all manner of media tie-ins when I was a kid, but didn’t know John Carter prior to this line.  In my defense, I was three.  Given it was a Tarzan line, I was more invested in Tarzan, but my dad, a pretty big Barsoom fan, was eager to track down that particular set of characters, which got me interested in just who the heck they were.  I subsequently read the first book, which got me pretty invested in Carter as a character.  Not too long after, I tracked down this one for myself, picking him up loose, sometime in the early ‘00s.  He’s a goofy figure, but there’s limited options for Carter, so it’s always nice to get anything at all.  And there’s no denying this guy has a certain charm about him.