Star Wars, in the ’80s, had huge success merchandising Ewoks and Droids. ThunderCats, watching intently, created a group of characters that were like a literal hybrid of both Ewoks and Droids. The Berbils, love them or hate them, were a race of super-intelligent, mechanically minded robot teddy bear people (who could cry!) on Third Earth, who helped build the Cat’s lair for the ThunderCats. Refugees have rarely been treated so well.
Grin and Berbil
Super7‘s ThunderCats Ultimates line, still going strong, just revealed wave 11, and it finally features a Berbil. Ro-Bear Bill includes a lantern, torch, knife, and Cat’s Lair plans, as well as an alternate head and hands.
Lion-O’s father Claudius, with his orange skin and blond hair, may remind some of a certain former president, though that’s coincidence — he looked like that years before said individual went super-heavy on the bronzer. He includes a staff, time capsule, and Thunderian war Robot plans. His Royal Thunderian Guard comes with a spear and guns, plus an alternate head to army build.
The fourth figure in the line is actually a twofer. The diminutive, large-headed Luna rides on her large bodyguard Amok. The two include interchangeable heads and hands, and come with a riding crop. This set costs $85 rather than the usual $55, for all the extra chunkiness. Order the set from Super7 and get an extra accessory pack — though it’s just weapons this time rather than extra heads. If they’re not important to you, or you only want one, other fan-channel sites like Entertainment Earth have their own shipping deals.
Super7 will take preorders on this wave through July 12th; others will have them in stock while their supplies last. Expect delivery roughly in February — those estimates can be mightily vague sometimes. In the meantime, feast on the render and prototype images below: