#209 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE – BATTLE CAT and PANTHOR (Ref. 5048 and 4714) (1982 and 1983)

BATTLE CAT and PANTHOR

The first wave of the MOTU was a bit short: it comprised only 8 figures, Castle Grayskull, 2 vehicles (Wind Raider and Battle Ram) and one creature. Leaving aside the figures, the Battle Cat, a “ferocious tiger (that) carries He-Man into Battle”, was probably the first reference created. It is known, that every action figure line needs some accessories, so what about some mount for He-Man? A horse? No, let’s recycle those old tigers from the Big Jim line…

Back cover of the Mini-comic "King of Castle Grayskull" (1981), one of the first four mini-Comic ever released. "More Masters of the Universe characters and vehicles available later in 1982"

This must be more or less what it happened at Mattel when discussing the accessories to be released in the first wave. Big Jim’s set number 9918 from 1976, “On theTiger Trail”, included a tiger in a cage, identical to the one you’ll see in this entry, only in other colour. As a matter of fact there are some Battle Cats, whose copyright mark (inside one of the hind legs) dates from 1976… These are rarer, and the easiest way to identify them is to look for orange stripes in the tail. If the tiger has them, then it’s the 1976 version, otherwise is the 1982 version.  

Doubling creatures, figures and reusing casts would be repeted throughout the lifespan of the line: further examples are Stridor and Stalker, Zoar and Screeech, Beast Man and Mossman, Mer-Man and Stinkor, and a few more.

Copyright mark inside right hind leg

Copyright mark in the saddles.

The 1976’s cast is marked Taiwan. Here’s a comparison between these two versions in a great toy blog.

There is, however, a third version of this creature, and is the French version… this one is made in a clearly darker green plastic, and their accessories are also darker as the normal versions. I was looking for a decent picture with both “cats”, but I found nothing, so check he-man.org… The “Mattel France” version is not so rare, can be found easily and never very expensive.

In order to maximize the references without increasing the costs, Mattel launched the following year the same toy, but this time for the evil forces. The new creature was named Panthor: a “ferocious beast with realistic velvet fur”. The difference is that the tiger has been flocked all over with a dark purple velvet-like hair. Unlike Battle Cat, which appears in almost every cartoon and comic book, Panthor only appears very rarely in some comics.

Both creatures with accesoories. Panthor does not wear a mask.

In playworn toys, Panthor's hair is mostly missing on the edges (for example, ears, tail, feet, also where the saddle comes…) The Panthor I own is in excellent shape. I found it recently in a flea market, because other one I have since I was a kid has lost a great part of its hair.

Battle Cat appears in almost every cartoons and comic, and, like He-Man, has a double personality: Cringer in the name of the cat, is kind of Castle Grayskull's pet: joyful, nice and easily frightened. With the mask, it turns to Battle Cat, which is brave and ferocious. About Panthor, we do not know much... anyone?

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: BATTLE CAT and PANTHOR (Ref. 5048 and 4714)
• Toy Line: Masters of the Universe (Waves 1 and 2)
• Year: 1982 and 1983
• Company: Mattel (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Approx. 25 cm