TALON FIGHTER

Point Dread and the Talon Fighter is an outpost / aircraft combination set which was part of the original MOTU range from the 1980s, appearing almost at the commencement of the line. The second series of minicomics featured the Talon Fighter on every cover, and the Point Dread outpost was the key part of two stories, The Tale of Teela! and The Power of... Point Dread! On this page I review the MOTUC Talon Fighter. Point Dread has its own page.

I have mixed feelings about the Talon Fighter. There are some lovely design touches that show a lot of thought went into styling the Classics version of this very important aircraft. It's bold, dramatic, sleek, fierce and refined all at once. In the photographs on this page you'll see some of the clever little details inside and outside, including cabin dials and a fantastic engine system on the rear section. But there is a huge problem with the Talon Fighter, and it dampens my enthusiasm. It's just too big. Probably 10% too big.

The first indication is when you see it in combination with Point Dread. It looks daft on top of the outpost - so obviously out of scale that it makes me wonder why the designers didn't take a breath and ask themselves if big really meant better in this case. The minicomic artwork should have been the point of reference, not the weird scale of the original toy.

Yes, Wind Raider and Battle Ram are both arguably oversized too, but not by the same degree as the Talon Fighter. And it's not just about how ridiculous the craft looks on Point Dread or - even more absurdly - on Castle Grayskull; it's about the cavernous interior that swallows any figures placed inside. The Teela pilot figure almost vanishes in the cockpit. Even male figures barely peep over the top of the dashboard. You'll see what I mean from some of my photos below.

There are other problems too. The canopy 'glass' is like a magnet to scuffs and scratches, most of which are present straight out of the box. On this model there is an issue with the red paint - on one side of the nose there is a faint gradient which is entirely absent from the other. I don't know whether that means a paint spill or missing paint.

There is much to like about the Talon Fighter but I can't help being disappointed with the stupid scale and the sloppy work that detracts from all the good parts. It's a shame because this was on the verge of being special. For a review of the other part of the set - Point Dread - click here.