Toy Review: Skeletor from Vinyl SODA by Funko

   My review of Funko's Vinyl SODA He-Man last week turned out to be quite popular, so here's a look at Skeletor, the Evil Lord of Desctruction! What would Skeletor soda taste like, anyways? I imagine it would be berry flavored. Kind of exotic. Or maybe grape and citrus, like Mountain Dew's Pitch Black. Remember that? I don't drink a lot of regular soda these days (I like unsweetened carbonated water or unsweet tea) but I used to go nuts for crazy sodas. On occasion I'll still pick up something that strikes my fancy, though. Of course, this isn't actually soda: It's a durable soda-like can with a vinyl Skeletor figure inside. It's a cool concept and Funko seems to be using it for multiple different licenses such as Thundercats, DC Comics, Hanna Barbera, Scott Pilgrim, and even the General Mills Cereal Monsters! Of course, the only ones I'm interested in are the Masters of the Universe ones, which means so far my collection consists of He-Man and Skeletor. Let's check out the Vinyl SODA Skeletor after the break and see if he's a sparkly delight or falls flat.

Action Figure Review: "Macho Man" Randy Savage from Masters of the WWE Universe by Mattel

    If there is any reason at all needed to justify the Masters of the WWE Universe line, it's the presence of a Masters of the Universe styled "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Ooooh yeahh!!! Seriously, this guy is just too cool. In WWEternia, the Macho Man is the heroic Master of Macho Madness who fights against the Skull King and his evil minions while remaining the Tower of Power, too sweet to be sour! Seriously, he's crazy cool, just as you'd expect from someone who's been in the danger zone and the Fright Zone. Macho Man actually combines elements from two MOTU sources: He-Man's Battle Armor and Man-At-Arms, giving him a bunch of incredible features and accessories. Ready to run with the Macho Man? Then let's check this guy out after the break...

Old School MOTU: Skeletor (Black Hood) from Dorbz: Masters of the Universe by Funko

   Ready for another Masters of the Universe Dorbz review? Today we're checking out the "chase" variant of Skeletor which official sources seem to refer to as Skeletor (Black Hood). And don't get me wrong, that's true! This Skeletor does have a Black Hood. He typically goes by another moniker in the fan community, however, and that moniker is Disco Skeletor. Yeah, baby! This is Disco Skeletor! So, what the heck is a Disco Skeletor? Let me tell you that tale throughout this review. It starts back with the 200x Masters of the Universe toyline which released in the United States in early 2002. In 2003, Mattel released a bizarre repaint of the standard Skeletor figure with a black hood, black limbs, gold armor, and a vac-metal, shiny purplish blue torso. At the time he seemed like a bizarre repaint and nothing more, but over the years his legend has grown. Let us ruminate on the mystery of Disco Skeletor as we check out this Funko Dorbz Skeletor chase variant...

Action Figure Review: Faker John Cena from Masters of the WWE Universe by Mattel

    Guess what? It's time to start checking out series 2 of Mattel's Masters of the WWE Universe toyline! These have been showing up at Walmart for a month or so but, let's be honest, almost no one is going out and hunting them down right now. Some kind soul from a Masters of the Universe Facebook page I'm on picked these up for me, so now I've got something new to play with and you've got some new review to read! Nice, huh? The first figure I'm checking out is Faker John Cena, the Evil Robot of the Skull King! While the Masters of the WWE Universe figures have definitely given  WWE Superstars the gimmicks of various MOTU characters, Faker John Cena is the first figure to actually have a MOTU name. Is this Faker as John Cena or John Cena as Faker? In the story (set in WWEternia) Faker John Cena is an evil robotic version of the heroic John Cena created by the Skull King Triple H. Let's check out this cool, translucent Faker John Cena after the break and see if his time is truly now...

Old School MOTU: She-Ra from Dorbz: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    She-Ra: Princess of Power has an interesting relationship with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. While they are set in the same universe (but not in the same dimension!), they clearly have two different identities, particularly when it comes to licensing. While the vintage toyline Masters of the Universe contained the Evil Horde, the She-Ra: Princess of Power toyline was a completely separate line. Filmation really joined the two properties, though, with lots of great crossovers. Other things like the Power Tour and the epic 1985 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade further gave us glimpses of the connections between worlds of Eternia and Etheria, but the 1980s She-Ra was relegated only to memories for more than a decade. When she finally returned it wasn't in the 200x/ MYP cartoon series but as a SDCC 2004 exclusive figure for the 200x MOTU line. Maybe that reignited fan interest because She-Ra was a massive part of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics, AKA the greatest toyline of all time. Something crazy has happened since then, though: She-Ra often only appears in toylines as an exclusive. Take the Dorbz She-Ra here: She was actually the first figure released in the Masters of the Universe range of Dorbz figures as she was part of the 2016 12 Days of Funko releases. Limited to 3,000 units, She-Ra is one of the more difficult figures to track down in the line, although she's not that tough as Dorbz aren't crazy pricey. Still, it's a testament to She-Ra's popularity that even in a largely unpopular line she's still one of the most desired figures. Anyways, let's check out this Funko Shop exclusive She-Ra after the break...

Toy Review: Battle Armor Skeletor from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

    Monogram International's new series of Masters of the Universe figural bag clips has two "chase" variants (which are super frustrating in a blind bagged line) and, as you may remember from a day or so ago, they are the Battle Armor variant of He-Man and Skeletor. I've already looked at Battle Armor He-Man so now it's time to look at Battle Armor Skeletor. While the standard Skeletor bag clip is clearly based on the Filmation depiction of Skeletor, this one is definitely based on the vintage toy design. Let's check out Battle Armor Skeletor after the break...

Old School MOTU: He-Man from Dorbz: Masters of the Universe by Funko

   It's time for another review of....He-Man! Ok, yeah, I review a heck of a lot of He-Man stuff, but hey, who cares, right? I'm going to be doing a mini review series on Funko's Masters of the Universe Dorbz line. I've reviewed another MOTU Dorbz figure before (Man-At-Arms) and I'm guessing most of you probably aren't unfamiliar with the line. Funko is always trying new stuff and Dorbz was an attempt to get another line going to supplement their successful POP! vinyls. Dorbz haven't been seen at retail for over a year (there haven't been any 2020 releases and all of the 2019 releases were Funko Shop exclusives) and most of the MOTU releases all came out in 2017 (She-Ra was a late 2016 exclusive for 12 Days of Funko while the metallic Black Hood Skeletor/ Disco Skeletor was a 2018 exclusive for Big Apple Collectibles), meaning that this line seems pretty much dead at this point. I'm still not sure why Funko released Dorbz rather than focusing on more characters in the POP! vinyls lines? I know they want to releases different product ranges, but Dorbz and POP! seem too similar, you know? Anyways, let's check out the Dorbz He-Man after the break to see yet another take on the most powerful man in the universe...