Rio Blast
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Rio Blast is a character from the popular toy line Masters of the Universe. A member of the heroic warriors, he is a cowboy warrior with an arsenal of laser guns and blasters built into hidden cavities within his chest and knees, which he unleashes upon unsuspecting opponents. He also carries a pack of blasters on his back, which he pulls over his head during battle to become a one-man army of laser blasters.
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[edit] Character profile
[edit] Comics
Rio Blast was introduced into the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1986. His first appearance in any medium was in the Mattel mini-comic "The Fastest Draw in the Universe" which portrayed him as an old friend of He-Man's, who aside from his battle skills was particularly keen on cooking chili.
He also made frequent appearances in the UK comic series by London Editions. These comics gave him a background as a member of an alien law team called the Starband Marshals from the world of Loredos. After being injured defending his world from Horde Prime, he was given his cybernetic modifications to save his life as well as enhance his battle skill. While working in an Astro-Jail, his world was hit by a meteor and destroyed, while a chunk of the exploding planet hit him and knocked him towards Eternia. Believing that Horde Prime was responsible for the meteor, Rio joined the Heroic Warriors in the hope of striking back on Prime for the destruction of his homeworld.
[edit] Colonel Blast
Rio Blast never appeared on the toy line's accompanying cartoon series, as it had been discontinued by the time his figure was released, to make way for its spin-off series She-Ra. However, a very similar character called Colonel Blast did appear on the She-Ra series. Colonel Blast was a member of the Evil Horde who featured in the 1985 episode "The Wizard" commanding the ranks of Horde Troopers. Although he was not a cowboy, this character had guns built into his body in the same manner as Rio, as well as sharing the same last name. Given that the characters from the 1986 wave of toys were in their development stage at this time, it is quite likely that Colonel Blast was an early version of Rio, promoted on the show as a possible upcoming figure.
[edit] Four Horsemen Studios
On July 20, 2006 at the 2006 Comic-Con International in San Diego, Four Horsemen Studios announced that Rio Blast will be part of Wave 5 of their Masters of the Universe mini statue, or staction figure line. The line is a continuation of the discontinued 2002 Mattel line of Masters of the Universe action figures also designed by Four Horsemen Studios. Wave 5 is scheduled to be released in 2007.
