Skeletor needed a steed similar to that of He Man and he got one. In keeping with the abnormal colors of the Masters Of The Universe felines his was a purple panther-looking feline named Panthor. As the story goes, back when Skeletor was Keldor, he saved the young feline cub from a hunter’s pit. For this the cat remained faithful to him, sitting at his throne with him or transporting him into battle. Mattel made a Masters Of The Universe figure out of the cat in 1983 much to the delight of the children.
Panthor was powerful because he was big. For someone the size of Skeletor to take a ride on the back of a panther-like creature means the feline is going to need to be super sized. Nevertheless, he was given armor like his good counterpart, Battle Cat. In his later days that armor was equipped with missiles and a gun. When he was seen in the television series he was bigger and more aggressive than in the Filmation series. Even though his is not seen in many episodes, when he is seen he has a prominent role to play.
The Mattel Panthor figure was 10 ΒΌ inches long. He was the same size as the Battle Cat figure. The differences between Panthor and Battle Cat were their colors and the imitation fur that Panthor had. He was covered with a type of flocking. He came with the saddle that was made for Skeletor to ride in, but this saddle was green instead of red like Battle Cat. Mattel did not make an helmet for Panthor in the early 1980s series.
The actions that Panthor could do as a Masters Of The Universe figure were limited. He had no moving parts like Skeletor or other humanoid action figures. There were also no different versions of this feline figure until later years. The years 2002 and 2011 saw him redone with more moving parts and movement that would allow him to strike. In 2002 he had his own unique armor and saddle. The saddle included missile launchers. He still had the fur flocking of his earlier version. In 2011 Panthor was given a head that distinguished him from Battle Cat. He lost his fur in 2011 and became pure plastic. His helmet began to look like a huge version of the “Havoc staff” of Skeletor.
There were different versions of the Mattel Panthor packages. He came in what was called a “two pack” with himself and Skeletor. Some of the Panthors were offered with “Battle Armor” Skeletor and some were not.
For those looking for a Mattel Panthor in his original version, he is not hard to find. If he is without his packaging, or “loose”, he will range from around ten dollars up to around $35 dollars. That will sometimes include Skeletor with him. If he is in the package, and is with Skeletor, he will range from $200 to $250 dollars. If the package is unopened, in perfect condition, and has an AFA grade the price will be much higher.
