One of the brilliant ideas of the Vintage toy line was to give He-Man a powerful steed in the form of a tiger. The creature was named Battle Cat and he immediately became one of the most recognisable MOTU toys.

Mattel had previously used the sculpt in unrelated toy lines. I won’t go into details here, but if you want to know the background, head to the fantastic Battle Ram Blog. The armour and helmet were Mark Taylor’s concepts.

When one thinks of an image that best represents Battle Cat, Rudy Obrero’s box art undoubtedly comes to mind. My first choice, however, is from Battle in the Clouds when He-Man summons Battle Cat from the forest.

This is my favourite version of Battle Cat. He exists as a free spirit, roaming the wild landscapes of Eternia, but is loyal to He-Man and always comes to his aid when called. Far better, in my view, than the cartoon version.

Battle Cat was one of the very first toys in the Masters of the Universe line. He was released in 1982. Panthor arrived the following year. Skeletor’s steed was given fur, or flocking, which quickly rubbed off during play.

Battle Cat and Panthor achieved iconic status in the MOTU line, even though they had no articulation or action feature. I think it is because they encapsulate the raw power and ferocity of the original MOTU canon.

BATTLE CAT

FIGHTING TIGER

Battle Cat is a memorable character. Just looking at the toy sparks the imagination. He is the perfect companion for He-Man. How many times did He-Man ride into battle on this steed in the adventures of young MOTU fans?

Interestingly, no other Masters of the Universe hero has the same effect when paired with Battle Cat. Try it and you will see what I mean. This is a beast with a single master. The snarl etched on the helmet wards off the others.

The armour, which doubles as a saddle, was well designed. It meant the repurposed sculpt could be used with the He-Man figures even though it had originally been designed for a toy line of an entirely different scale.

Battle Cat is one of the easiest Vintage figures to find. He must have been released in great numbers. Many of the toys are still in reasonably good condition. It is important to check the strap is present and intact though.

PANTHOR

SAVAGE CAT

It was inevitable that Mattel would reuse the cat design after the success of Battle Cat. Rather than repaint the figure, they decided to release it with purple flocking. It was a great look but not suited to robust play.

Most Panthor toys soon lost most of their fur. A few examples with minimal damage occasionally come up for sale, but very few are pristine. Most of those sold online are simply not worth buying due to their condition.

The colour is striking. In contrast to Battle Cat’s bold colours, Panthor is much darker. (The photographs are a little over-exposed to show the detail.) It is easy to imagine Panthor lurking in shadowy caverns and gloomy forests.

This is a sinister beast for a wicked master. Panthor is a great foe for Battle Cat. And while he might not be quite as famous as his adversary, Panthor is still a favourite among Masters of the Universe fans. Another iconic toy.