When I first saw the MOTUC figure line, I liked it, but wasn’t ready to jump in to Mattel subscription program, I just don’t care for that sales model. Then I saw a handful of figures I had to have, Carnivus here being the first one I knew I had to get. I paid a little more than retail for it, but was OK with it, that’s what we collectors have to do sometimes. I had no idea who the character was, but loved the look of him, and thought he’d be a good figure. Then it arrived…

Masters of the Universe Classics Chief Carnivus

…and I discovered he’s not a good action figure.

He’s a great action figure.

Chief Carnivus, cattitude included

Now, I’ve never seen Carnivus on any of the shows, or in any comic, so I don’t know if the sculpt is accurate, but it is well done, with great details from his hair down to his furry feet. Carnivus could be one of The Four Horsemen’s original characters for the line, he really has their design  ‘fingerprint’ on him, but he’s from the newer series from the early 2000s. I could tell you stuff about the character, but I’d just be paraphrasing from wikipedia or somewhere, so I’ll let you do that on your own. If you’re already a fan, then you probably know more about him than I do anyway.

I'd hate to have to clean their litter box. I'll make Orko do it.

His hair and beard look like hair/fur, his belt has what looks like a snake head on it (don’t know why), the shield has a stylized lion/tiger head on it, and the fur all over him adds to the details of the sculpt, which has the most detail of all the MOTUC figures I have.

Eternia ladies appreciate the little details. Or maybe they think he's a furry. Eternia's a weird place.

The paint is good, not as great as the sculpt, but far from bad. There’s a tiny bit of slop on the claws of his feet, the gem on his sword, and on one of the shoulders, but mostly it’s not that noticeable. There’s some spots on the shield that look like they were missed during the painting, but it’s OK, it’s a shield, I wouldn’t expect it to be perfect after parrying a few swords and clubs.

Carnivus is enthralled by the Catnip Mouse. No cat can resist it's power.

Carnivus has the standard MOTUC articulation, with ball-jointed hips, shoulders and head, hinged elbows, knees and ankles, the ab-crunch, and swivel wrists and waist. The shoulders of his armor are not really jointed, but do have a bit of ‘give’ to them, only limiting the shoulder movement a tiny bit. He can really get into some great battle poses, or you can find a pose he looks good in and leave him on the shelf looking good.

Eternia's finest

Chief Carnivus’s cape and loincloth are flexible, but sturdy, and don’t limit his articulation at all. The cape is very long, and will touch the floor (or table, or shelf, etc.) if he’s posed standing straight up.

'Hello little friend.'

Carnivus comes with a couple accessories, his shield and sword. The shield has a detailed cat head sculpted on it, with a clip on the back to snap on to his arm. The sword is, well, a sword. It does what it’s supposed to do, fits well in his hand, and looks good.

Overall, I think Chief Carnivus is one of the best Masters of the Universe Classics figures, and even though I know nothing about the character (except what’s written on the back of the packaging), he’s on my list of the top five MOTUC figures. If you’re a fan of the later cartoon series, or of the line of figures, your collection will be incomplete without Carnivus. If you’re like me, and only buy some of the figures, this is one you should get. He’ll look great with your other MOTUCs, or with other similar-sized fantasy figures, or even as part of a group of cat figures (sure, why not?).

-Seraph