This Ben Gali originated from Argentina (Where it was produced). The figure was produced under "Play Ful" (not LJN), but with full license from Telepix, but this is in debate still amongst Thundercat collectors.
This Ben Gali offer some strange varations. First, Ben Gali has his weapon Chromed. This weapon is not a hammer, but more like a ax. The weapon is not cheaply made as you can see and is well detailed.
The action figure Ben Gali is a bit different than the Regular Ben Gali. Exactly like the Old Tygra it seems. The limbs and possibly the head and body of this Play Ful Ben Gali may actually be limbs from Old Tygra! (Click here for Comparison) Starting off with the arms, they seem to have been Tygra arms that have the addition of shoulder pads and gloves. The only way you can really tell its Old Tygra's limbs is by the fingers. The fingers for the Left hand are spread out, while the regular issue Ben Gali's fingers are closed. The Right Hand actually seems to be improved upon! Though it is pretty much Tygra's hand (Grip and arm is exactly the same with the shoulder and glove added on).
The Arms are not the only thing that has been alterted. The head of this Ben Gali has the face of Old Tygra, and the hair of Ben Gali. It seems "Play Ful" touched up on his head, as well as his chest. Ben Gali's straps on his chest are much smaller than the regular edition. It seems that the chest and head were retooled Old Tygra pieces.
The legs of this Ben Gali are unaltered Old Tygra legs. As you can see, the top of the boots are pointed downward. Overall, this figure is very different than the regular release Ben Gali. The paint scheme on the arms and face are in a lighter tone of blue and have less stripes. To further it on, there is such smaller differences such as the lever is a little longer, and the markings on the feet of Ben Gali state Play Ful, not LJN. The markings also states 1985 Telepix,LCI, T.Wolf PlayFul.
Why is this company retooling molds and creating variants from the regular issue figures? Well a few good ideas can be thrown on the table of discussion. One possible answer is that Play Ful felt that producing different molds for each figure was too costly. Production of the same arms and legs would cut down costs and possibly prices which would cause better sales. This would be roughly what Mattel did with their "He-Man" toy line and the use of all the same limbs (roughly).
Overall this figure is quite exceptionaly nifty and tough to locate. Many of these Argentina Play Ful versions are different from their worldwide counterparts as you can see in the rest of the STA: Thundercats Archive.
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