Holy Grail Part V - Predaking!

Finally, down to the big guy. Predaking is one of those characters who should kick a lot of tail, but just never did a whole lot. I mean, the first time he ever won a fight across any continuity was against Bruticus in an issue of the old Dreamwave series. Reading his bio, I get frustrated whenever he gets defeated as easily as being taken down by one shot by Pointblank in the Headmaster cartoons.

Predaking is a being who loves the thrill of the hunt. Not like how a redneck puts on a bunch of camo and sprays doe urine everywhere kind of hunter. More like "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell kind of hunt. You'd think he'd be better at it. I'm beginning to wonder if writers think of him more like a Goliath type who must be overcome. That would be great if he was utilized that way in a proper manner. But come on, Pointblank took him down in one shot!

Maybe, it could be that the writers looked at Predaking and laughed. I'm not saying that Predaking is a horrible figure, mind you. The more I think about it, the more I think I may have built Predaking up in my head that when I got him, I was destined to be disappointed.

Lets look at him:

Majestic, yes? It's not just his height that stands out. He's bulky; a good kind of bulky. Predaking looks like you don't want to mess with him. I'm not too keen on his arms sagging so much, but after looking around the Internet, this appears to be because of the weight of the die-cast parts. The all-plastic versions don't have this problem.

The wings on his back really look great. To me it makes him look more menacing, like a winged version of death and doom. His fists even rotate!

The only major problems I have with Predaking are his head and sword. I think a lot of people have these same issues. The head just seems too compact. When Predaking is depicted in the fiction, his head antennae are long, the toy's are short and even with the top of the head.

The sword. Man the sword. Predaking uses Razorclaw's sword and it is woefully short. It's...it's just wrong. I never display Predaking with his sword. It looks like me trying to use my one-year old's training fork.

The small head and tiny sword actually have me considering buying the CrazyDevy upgrades. I'm not a big fan of third party stuff, but something needs to be done about the Predaking aesthetic look. It's just criminal how these two things have lowered my opinion of this great figure.

Overall, Predaking is an awesome and imposing figure. He towers over every other gestalt and looks like he could destroy anything in his path. This is a figure that I would love to see updated as a Classic or a Masterpiece. Other than the head and sword, I think this is a must buy for all.