The 1980’s were an amazing time for children and toys; they offered a very new selection of creativity, and playthings that could stand the test of time, and the everyday wear that a child could put them through.

Masters of the Universe was probably more prominent than G.I. Joe and even the amazing Transformers. A MOTU figure could be nearly beaten on, immersed in water, and buried in the dirt and come out looking pretty.

With tough figures, a selection of vehicles for them to get around was also needed—granted, in time, the vehicles didn’t hold up too well due to them being made flimsy whereas, at first appearance they seemed to be strong due to offering basic pieces. Take the Wind Raider for example; that vehicle was prone to the wings cracking and the anchor retractor failing.

There was one vehicle that topped them all—be it the Battle Ram, Wind Raider, Roton, Road Ripper and so on…it was the Talon Fighter. Complete with a base station of green plastic rocks called Point Dread, this flying 2-seater could hold up to most crashes and return home to it’s perch atop the Point Dread formation for another day of play.

Mark the time…November, 2015, the Talon Fighter and Point Dread were reborn as a Masters of the universe Classics vehicle, the best of them all. Showing the size is difficult; I will try multiple times throughout this article to make it clear as to how big this thing is.

First, there was a huge box left on my porch after I came home from work; it was a nice “surprise” (I knew it was coming). I wondered why the box was so big; I had 2 other items in it, but come on…!

I opened the box and the 2 items were on top, they were kind of big, but; it was the box for the Talon Fighter that amazed me, it took up the entire shipping box!

Let’s start with the front of the box; the artwork is amazing; a true, classic masterpiece.

On top, there are old fashioned selling points of what this wonderful “thing” can do.

The back of the box brings me back to my childhood, the basic drawings of the “also available” figures and vehicles/playsets, just makes me remember a possibly, better time.

As for the sides; well, they offer up a second option as the original Point Dread could do, and that was sit atop the parapet of Castle Grayskull, this new version is no different.

The reverse side has more beautiful box art.

This is going to be my first attempt at trying to visually show the size of the Talon fighter, the box. Saurod is a standard figure and he is tiny in comparison to the package that the vehicle comes in; so that is try number one.

The box is easy to open with just a few pieces of tape holding it, it is packed very well to ensure that nothing gets damaged; this would have held up very well in stores.

A few things moved and opened, you do have to assemble it a little as stated on the box itself.

The huge wings are packaged alone in their own box, separated by cardboard to keep the paint from scratching. The wings are detailed with vents, and not a hollow shell underneath like the original.

Point Dread is stacked inside itself, the well-detailed perch which actually locks the feet of the Talon Fighter into it with a small button to release it; and…Teela?!? Yeah, I know, she is listed on the box as coming with the set and one of the reasons I bought it besides it being my favorite toy from when I was a kid. It is strange to have a figure packed in such a way; but if anything, it is interesting also.

The body of the Talon Fighter, you can already see the detail and feel the weight as it is 101% better than the 80’s original.

This is novel; you get the choice of 3 different stickers to put on for the control panel’s monitor. You get a world view, a target of Beast Man, and finally Orko and Cringer…no. I went with the world view, I thought it was most fitting and I guess it reflects my age; I can be particular with certain things. There are also instructions included for it.

Let us take a look inside; all you have to do is flip up the roof which actually has windows, so that is awesome to begin with. Inside you see the basic view of the cockpit being able to hold 2 figures with ease. Most controls and details are sculpted and painted, they are not stickers.

The front view shows that the control sticks are actually usable by the figures and can be gripped. The sticker of the world view is actually straight and I put it on with poor lighting, so I guess I got lucky; I think that sticker makes it more interesting for my own tastes. All the controls are sculpted as stated before, and are nice, very much like the original except a part of the piece itself.

The rear view has the medical kit, each piece is sculpted and painted; no stickers here. The rear seat is large enough for any passenger.

Teela. A favorite of most fans and collectors; this is the Filmation version of the figure and more than enough incentive to buy the Talon Fighter…OK, well, she is a great extra. Teela comes with two heads…I don’t like this helmet head, it doesn’t work for her.

The head has a removable visor.

Now, this is what I’m talking about, the purest form of Teela, beautiful, from head to toe. She comes with the sword that Trap Jaw eats in the cartoon and a shield that snaps on her wrist like most of the other shields in the line. Her face is striking, she really is beautiful. Her hair and tiara are perfectly sculpted too. Her outfit has minimal color detail to go with the Filmation premise, but it is nice if anything, I have no complaints.

The back of Teela shows the rest of her outfit and the high collar. Her bottom region looks kind of big, but in a good way. I am very satisfied with this Teela, I think she is amazing.

Point Dread. One word: huge. A two piece structure that is built like the original, however, to be honest, the plastic is thinner and lighter, it is also softer than the original. I had a tough time getting the upper half to balance with the lower, but it finally clicked into place. The corroding, bronzed perch attaches to the top and can be rotated. Extra is a little wood-covered hole at the bottom right that was not part of the original.

The back resembles the original very closely and features a movable plastic computer; the computer was cardboard in the original. The computer is a good place to hide Teela’s alternate head if you like as it is hollow in the back. The detailed wood floor is simply nice, I think it makes for a good touch as the original was kind of boring compared to this.

Figures can fit inside without having to squat or lean; Teela takes her place as the guardian of Point Dread, after all, she did fail as the guardian of Castle Grayskull…hope she does better this time. Oh…wait…Skeletor does get his hands on the Talon Fighter and the Sorceress has to move it to the top of Castle Grayskull…man…Teela, can’t you do anything right? Bad Teela! LOL!!!

The last chance to compare; Point Dread side by side, you can see that the original is tiny compared to the new one.

The Talon Fighter side by side, the same thing, the original is nothing compared to the new, the new one is simply huge.

On the tower, the height is so different that you think they are completely different pieces and not the same concept.

The reverse shows the Teela’s comfort inside the bunker—also, I would like to mention that the original Talon Fighter had a handle to hold while making it fly…that is not needed with an “adult collectible.”

The last comparison of size is my little girl cat Azusa. Azu-nyan is small, and she is sitting and is shorter than Point Dread, the Talon Fighter is possibly larger than her.

The Talon Fighter and Point Dread is an amazing set, it is worth every penny paid and is well detailed. The only problem is that it is so big; I don’t know where to put it just yet. But, that is OK; it makes a great night table knick-knack for now.

Finally, I want to mention something very special that came with the original. A book which is now long gone and a…record. A 33 and a third record to be exact. Yeah, it is very old, and it probably does not play very well if at all, but just having it still is what is important. On side 1 is “The Power of Point Dread;” it is told in story and voice acted out—I remember it well. The book went along with the story. On side 2 is “Danger at Castle Grayskull,” I remember this story very well, it is also voice acted and told; and goes with the book. The Talon Fighter and Point Dread was a benchmark of the original Masters of the Universe, it was as special as a large playset like Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain and now, it holds a prime spot in my collection of Masters of the Universe.

GRADE: PERFECT.

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