Zartan (1993 Ninja Force)
It seems no major Cobra player was safe from the swift pen of redesign and sub-team reallocation at the end of the first Real American Hero line. If they weren’t being placed into robotic spacesuits, they were painted in bright hues or transplanted as ninjas. Such is the case with Zartan.
I really can’t fault them for sticking to the big guns to the end. After all, the A-list characters were a big part of the foundation for success in the line’s heyday. If you’re trying to find new ways to keep the line viable, it makes sense to fall back on familiar names. One need only look at the two RAH follow-up lines to see the dangers of creating a new mythology from the ground up.
So to continue the second year of Ninja Force, they put a heavy hitter in the lineup. As only the second Zartan figure, and following up one of the most well-remembered figures of the line, it was an uphill battle. Zartan falls victim to his own previous success, as I’m sure a lot of reactions fell into the “that doesn’t look like him” category. I agree the design is a huge departure, but I understand the direction in which it was taken.
After all, Zartan is the leader of a biker gang. So why not make him look like one? While the colors were typically of the gaudy variety of the time, I think the figure fails mostly due to the sculpt and the action feature. He’s too thin, and the twisting waist is a letdown. I also miss the classic zartan accessories. Even though he’s a part of Ninja Force here, I still miss the master of disguise aspects of the character. The unique leg knife holsters are my favorite element of the figure–I’m a sucker for on-figure weapons storage.
Finally, I’ve always wondered what color Zartan’s hair was under his hood. Who would have guessed neon orange? And it matches his weapons. Nice.
I like the mohawk and the vest. Seems like it wouldn’t be very comfortable storing your knives like that, though…
Again–something that didn’t need an action feature.
I wasn’t very surprised by the Mohawk after a second look. It is Zartan after all, and even the neon colors make a weird kind of sense since he he is always changing his appearance. In the comic, he first sported this look greeting Destro and the Baroness, then shifted to the classic “napkin head” and back to punk again. The leg knife holders are unique for this period in RAH and would have been a welcome addition during the final years. Overall, this figure might have worked better without the action feature and using darker tones.
Bad colors, but a good action figure afterall!
Ugly figure. This isn’t the Zartan I remember!
Too thin? Some figures from that era were barrel chested, like that lunk Outback. Or did you mean too scrawny for the character?
Mowhawk starts in the middle of his forehead. Always struck me as odd even for Zartan.
The ninja feature blew, but it was better than no second version of Zartan.
At first, I was disappointed in this figure. It just didn’t look the way I thought Zartan should. But, I came to really appreciate this figure and I can honestly say I like it alot (except where the knives are held. That’s just stupid). The mohawk and the jacket harken back to the Dreadnok days. If I could change one thing about this figure, it would be the colors of the pants. Bright green just doesn’t look right. I think black or blue jeans would look best and still give off that classic Dreadnok feel. But, overall, I think it’s an underappreciated figure.
I use this figure as Zartan’s son, so I could stretch my Dreadnok team.