Monday, March 30, 2020

Action Figure Review: Ruin from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

    Ready for a review that's not Masters of the Universe related? Then let's check out Ruin from Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series.  Ruin is an outfit from Fortnite that appeared in Season 8 and is part of the Ruination set. He's an armored warrior with lots of guns, so you would think that he would be a slam dunk in this line. I mean, every other figure in this series has been quite good, so why not a big armored warrior, right? Wrong. Folks, I gotta admit that Ruin is the first figure in this line that I just don't like. It's a real shame, too, because he has some of the coolest accessories in the line to date. Sigh. Let's see how Jazwares ruined Ruin after the break...

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Old School MOTU: Spikor #20 from POP! Television: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    Ready for another Masters of the Universe POP! review? Then let's check out Spikor! Spikor was released in 2013 alongside of He-Man, Skeletor, She-Ra, and Hordak as part of the first series of MOTU POP! vinyls, which is pretty interesting since Spikor is definitely not an A-list character. Heck, Spikor isn't even a B-list character. I'd put Spikor as a solid C-list Evil Warrior. Originally appearing in the fourth series of vintage figures released in 1985, Spikor has a couple of minicomic appearances and appeared in three episodes of the Filmation series. He's a recognizable figure or sure, but definitely not one of the big names. Why exactly did Spikor make it into the first series of POP! vinyls, then? My guess is it is either because his Masters of the Universe Classics figure was released in 2012, so he was probably recent at the time Funko was selecting characters for the line, or it is because he was simply someone at Funko's favorite childhood figure. Let's take a look at Spikor after the break and see how sharp he really is...

Toy Review: He-Man from Vinyl SODA by Funko

    Funko has started another line! Can you believe it? Of course you can, as they're always trying to put out something new to be the next POP! vinyl: Dorbz, MyMojii, Mystery MinisReally Big Mystery Minis, VYNL, Rock Candy, Vinyl Idolz, Vinyl Vixens, 5 Star, and Hikari all come to mind. Now we have another series and this time it's Vinyl Soda. I actually really like the concept of these: They're solid, non-articulated 4-inch figures sold inside of faux soda pop cans. It actually makes for a really cool collectible and when you display the figure next to the soda can, it's even better. These just started showing up around the time of Toy Fair 2020 and quickly made their way out to collectors. There are 10,000 He-Man figures made, although only 8,400 of those are this standard He-Man. The other 1,600 are a chase variant Slime Pit He-Man figure. I don't have that variant yet (these are sold in blind packaging, so you'll have to either buy multiples and sell off the rest, hope to get lucky, or pay an inflated price. I do hate blind packaged chase exclusives, though I really like these figures. Let's check out the Vinyl Soda He-Man after the break...

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Old School MOTU: Skeletor #19 from POP! Television: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    Since they released He-Man you just know that Funko had to release Skeletor! In 2013 Skeletor was released alongside of He-Man in the POP! Television: Masters of the Universe range. The original 2013 releases consisted of He-Man, Skeletor, Hordak, She-Ra, and.... Spikor? Yup, Spikor got a figure as part of the first releases. That's kind of crazy, right? Anyways, Skeletor was released in two other chase variants (a Gemini Collectibles glow-in-the-dark variant, and a SDCC "Disco" variant, both limited to 480 pieces) but this is the basic version of Eternia's main malevolent menace. Let's check out Skeletor #19 after the break...

Friday, March 27, 2020

Toy Review: Faker from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

    I love Faker! While he was designed to be a simple repaint of He-Man utilizing Skeletor's armor and a sticker, he definitely has evolved into his own... well, Faker really hasn't ever got a lot of attention in media, so who's to say what he is? He appeared in one episode of the Filmation series, never appeared in the MYP cartoon, and has had random parts in various comic books. Like so many Masters of the Universe characters, Faker is popular simply because of his cool aesthetic. While you might think he'd be a simple repaint of the He-Man bag clip, Faker does have Skeletor's armor, so it's definitely a different mold. There's something else unusual about this Faker clip: He's actually sporting the magenta armor and sword from the vintage cross sell art! That's a pretty cool detail that definitely makes Faker stand out even more here. Let's check out Faker after the break...

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Old School MOTU: He-Man #17 from POP! Television: Masters of the Universe by Funko

   First of all: This year you're going to see me reviewing a lot of older Masters of the Universe stuff, as MOTU is really where most of my collecting interest has been heading for the last few years. I'm going to use the "Old School MOTU" label just to show off stuff that isn't a new release. Today I;m checking out the original Funko POP! He-Man from 2013. Funko has released quite a bit of MOTU product over the last 7-8 years, so any discussion of Masters of the Universe toys has to include them.
   Second of all: Whenever we discuss the toylines of the 2010s, we're going to have to talk about Funko POP! vinyls. Collectors either seem to love or hate POP! vinyls, with those that hate them often derisively comparing them to Ty's Beanie Babies. Like Beanie Babies, Funko's POP! vinyls certainly have captured the attention of many people who don't really collect traditional toys and action figures and they do utilize marketing techniques such as "chase variants" and "exclusives" to drum up excitement. Unlike Beanie Babies, though, POP! vinyls are tied in with properties people have a deep love for. While the popularity of POP! vinyls may certainly wane over time (though Beanie Babies are still around, just FYI), the fact that they're mostly based on other properties is going to keep folks attention. I'm not collecting "POP! vinyls:" I'm collecting Masters of the Universe, Resident Evil, and horror figures. They just happen to be made in the Funko POP! style. See what I mean?
   Anyways, why am I going on so long? Maybe it's because we're all quarantined and we're all bored? Actually, it's because since this He-Man figure is the "first" MOTU POP! it's a great place to discuss the brand and its relationship to MOTU. When Masters of the Universe Classics came out in 2008, MOTU was very much a "dead," niche brand. As good as the 200x line and the MYP series was, overall it was a swing and a miss in the early 2000s and the brand seemed to be going nowhere. MOTUC really seemed like the last hurrah for the brand. But something happened: MOTUC began to elevate the brand. What was originally intended as a couple exclusives, or possibly even just as a series of 2 packs, became one of the largest, most expansive toylines of all time. As MOTUC grew so did MOTU's cultural footprint and a couple of other companies started to pay attention again to the brand that MattyCollector.com built. In 2013 Funko released some Masters of the Universe POP! vinyls in their POP! Television brand and thus He-Man's slow but steady rise back into the pantheons of popular culture continued to grow. Let's take a look at the Funko POP! He-Man after the break and see if this guy still has the power...

Toy Review: Beast Man from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

    I reviewed Skeletor on Tuesday so today let's check out his number #1 lackey, Beast Man! Beast Man is for sure one of the A-List Evil Warriors and you can always count on him showing up alongside of Skeletor to cause some travel. His distinctive orange, red, and blue color scheme really stands out in this style and makes for an attractive looking bag clip. What are y'all using these for, anyways? I just have mine on display. I screwed some hooks into the front edges of one of my display cases and now have these guys lining it. It looks pretty good, really! Now I get the pleasure of putting ol' Biff Beastman/ Raqquill Rqazz on the shelf. Let's check this little Beast Man out after the break...

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Action Figure Review: He-Man (Slime Pit) #952 from POP! Television: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    Variations of the Slime Pit He-Man/ Horde Zombie He-Man concept have been crazy popular for a couple of years now and Funko is getting in on the action. There was a Slime Pit He-Man chase variant in the new Funko Soda line and  we've got a He-Man (Slime Pit) POP! vinyl as well! Like Tri-Klops and the POP! + Pez Dispensers, Slime Pit He-Man was intended as a shared exclusive with the now delayed Emerald City Comic Con. He's now been released direct to consumers and as a shared exclusive with GameStop, so you may want to order him from GameStop (I think they're only doing curbside pickup at the moment due to the Coronavirus). Ready for a really cool translucent green He-Man? Then let's check out He-Man (Slime Pit) #952 after the break...

Toy Review: Tri-Klops from POP! + Pez Dispensers: Masters of the Universe by Funko

   For Emerald City Comic Con, which has been postponed to a later date, Funko was going to release three new Masters of the Universe POP! + Pez Dispensers. They ended up releasing everything early, as well as the shared versions of the dispensers through GameStop, so that's how I already have them. While the other two dispensers, Evil-Lyn and Stinkor, were based on previously released POP! vinyls, Tri-Klops and his POP! counterpart were released at the same time. The POP! Tri-Klops (which I reviewed yesterday) was released as a shared exclusive through FYE stores and is a brand new addition to the MOTU POP! collection.  Let's take a look at the Tri-Klops POP! + Pez dispenser after the break...

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

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

    Could you ever have a line of Masters of the Universe anything with out Skeletor, the Evil Lord of Destruction? Of course not! Monogram International's line of Figural Bag Clips are hitting in full force at places like Hot Topic and Target, although with so many stores closing right now due to Covid-19 your best bet might be to pick these up online. The standard figures in the series aren't too tough to get and you may want to purchase preopened ones from a reseller rather than risk duplicates (I pulled three Skeletors out of fifteen packs). Let's take a look at the Skeletor bag clip and see if this guy is worth toting around to show people you roll with he Evil Warriors. More after the break...

Toy Review: Swift Wind Straw Buddy from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Sonic/ C3

    If you need a straw buddy for your beverage but you are more Team Best Friends Squad rather than Team Horde, you're going to want to check out this Swift Wind Straw Buddy from Sonic. I really like Swift Wind in the new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power show and I was definitely excited to get the Swift Wind from Mattel's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power dolls, even though he was very... different from the kind of stuff I usually collect. I'm glad Swift Wind made the cut for a toy in the Sonic Wack Pack kids meals although I will say that he's the least impressive of all the toys I've picked up so far. I mean, kids will love him (my daughter does) since even if you don't know who Swifty he, he's still clearly a unicorn. And unicorns are huge right now. Seriously, unicorns are all the rage. Let's see how She-Ra's favorite unicorn fares after the break...

Monday, March 23, 2020

Action Figure Review: Tri-Klops #951 from POP! Television by Funko

    While Emerald City Comic Con has been delayed due to the Coronavirus/ Covid-19, the exclusives have still been making their way out to collectors. Many of Funko's convention exclusives are shared between a specific convention and a specific retailer, and Tri-Klops is shared with ECCC and FYE  stores. While we kind of thought last year's Buzz-Off POP! (who was also an ECCC and FYE shared exclusive) would be the last Masters of the Universe POP! vinyl, it turns out that Funko has big plans again for the property.  Tri-Klops is an excellent POP! release as he's arguably one of the A-list Evil Warriors. While he didn't show up until the 2nd series of vintage toys, he's instantly recognizable due to his unique gimmick and his multiple appearances in the minicomics, Filmation cartoon, and MYP cartoon. I never had Tri-Klops as a kid but I always wanted him. His green and orange color scheme really stands out and his action feature is so much fun! Let's take a look at this Evil Warrior who sees everything after the break...

Toy Review: She-Ra: Gold Edition from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Sonic/ C3

   There are two She-Ra figures in the Sonic Wacky Pack kids meal sets this month: The standard She-Ra, which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, and this gold She-Ra which I'm reviewing today! Gold variants of characters really seem to be a popular trend with toy makers, and while the Filmation cartoon literally had He-Man turned into a gold statue, this She-Ra really just seems like she's gold just for the sake of standing out.  That's OK for a fast food promo toy, though. Seriously, this is a pretty cool little line of toys, especially considering they're around a $1 each. Let's take a look at She-Ra: Gold Edition after the break...

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Action Figure Review: Han Solo (Carbonite) #364 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

 It's been almost 2 years since I last reviewed a Star Wars POP! vinyl but when I stumbled upon Han Solo in Carbonite at a GameStop, I had to pick him up. Star Wars is a franchise filled with iconic scenes and images but one of the most iconic scenes surely has to be Han and Leia's exchange in the carbon freezing chamber at Bespin. The music, the expressions on every face in the room, the lighting, the smoke, and of course the sound of the block hitting the ground to reveal Han's anguished face frozen in carbonite. This year is the 40th anniversary celebration of The Empire Strikes back and there's not a doubt in my mind that it's the greatest film in the Star Wars saga. Heck, it's easily one of the greatest films of all time. I was really hoping to see a special showing of the film accompanied by a live orchestra but Captain Trumps Covid-19 kind of out the kibosh on that. Still, no reason we can't watch the movie over and over at home in self quarantine while humming along right? Now my family will have a little Han Solo frozen in carbonite POP! vinyl to accompany us while we watch. He's incredible and definitely one of my favorite POP! vinyls already. Let's take a look at this one after the break and see if he's worth it, but of course you already know he is. You know you always need more scoundrels in your life.

Toy Review: Imp Straw Buddy from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Sonic/ C3

 I've been slowly making my way through some of the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power toys that Sonic has been offering in their Wacky Pack kids meals and today I'm offering up another review: Imp! Technically this is an Imp Straw Buddy, which means that he's a little plastic figure designed to grip your straw while you're enjoying a cold beverage. I haven't watched all of the episodes of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power yet (my daughter and I have read all of the books, though) but while I do like it I have to admit I was disappointed by the lack of the fun, sidekick characters like Imp and Kowl. Imp is one of my favorite characters on the Filmation series and I've long used Imp as my avatar over at He-Man.org. The fact that he doesn't talk on the new show definitely disappointed me, as Filmation's Imp was so wonderfully evil! Still, part of me has to celebrate the fact that in 2020 I was able to go to a drive-in fast food restaurant and purchase a toy of Imp for $1. You can say what you want about 2020 so far, but that will always be a high spot for the year. Let's take a look at the Imp Straw Buddy after the break...

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Toy Review: Stinkor from POP! Pez Dispensers: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    I just reviewed the first of the 2020 Emerald City Comic Con/ Funko 2020 Spring Convention Limited Exclusive Masters of the Universe POP! Pez Dispensers yesterday, but to keep you occupied during your at home quarantining here's a look at the second dispenser in the set: Stinkor! I like Stinkor and I'm always glad when he gets represented in a toyline as it doesn't happen as often as some of the other Evil Warriors (probably due to never appearing in the Filmation cartoon). Stinkor is a solid B-list Evil Warrior though, and Funko did release a POP! vinyl of him back in 2018. Like the POP! vinyl, this Stinkor has a different head sculpt from Mer-Man unlike the vintage toy, where they shared the same sculpt. That's kind of cool, although it makes me wonder if we'll ever see Funko do a "toy variant" version of Mer-Man. Did you know that Pez actually released flower flavored candy back in the 1960s? I kind of wish they had made some patchouli flavored candy for Stinkor, don't you? Let's check out Stinkor, probably the MOTU character you would least want to take candy from, after the break...

Toy Review: Stratos from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

    It's time for another heroic warrior to join Monogram International's collection of Figural Bag Clips and this time it's the mighty winged warrior Stratos! Stratos has been on a roll lately as it seems like every company producing Masters of the Universe product has been adding him to their rosters! I gotta admit that while I've never been the biggest Stratos fan this guy is iconic and has a great color scheme. While most of these figure clips are clearly based on the Filmation cartoon designs, the sleekness of this figure definitely reminds me a little bit of the DC Comics Stratos. Let's take look at Stratos after the break and see how high this guy can fly!

Friday, March 20, 2020

Toy Review: Evil-Lyn from POP! Pez Dispensers: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    With Emerald City Comic Con delayed until August due to Coronavirus/ Covid-19, Funko went ahead and started sending out the exclusives they originally had planned. Some of the exclusives have specific ECCC labels on them while others have the generic "Funko 2020 Spring Convention Limited Exclusive" label. Now that Funko is back to cranking out Masters of the Universe stuff it was pretty exciting to see that they had five exclusives planned for ECCC; Two POP! vinyls and three POP! Pez dispensers. The POP! Pez dispensers are shared with GameStop, who usually is pretty good about making their exclusives available. I ordered a set of their exclusives from GameStop.com, although I have since seen them in a store one time too. Today I'm checking out the first of the three ECCC POP! Pez dispensers: Evil-Lyn! I actually own seven other MOTU POP! Pez dispensers, but I don't think I've reviewed any of them before. They're really just like regular Pez dispensers but with a smaller POP! vinyl styled head. Let's check out Evil-Lyn after the break and decide if taking candy from a witch is really the best idea...

Toy Review: Prince Adam from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

 Thanks for spending some of your Social Distancing and Self Quarantine time at Action Figure Barbecue! During trying times there's nothing like being able to lose yourself for a few minutes in the things you love, so let's take a brief trip to Eternia and check out another Figural Bag Clip from Monogram International's Masters of the Universe series. Today I'm checking out Prince Adam! I really, really love the Filmation series (a love that's developed more since my daughter was born as that show just appeals to kids so much!) and Prince Adam is absolutely one of my favorite characters. This is definitely based on the Filmation version of Adam/ He-Man who recently appeared in issue #4 of DC's He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse. Ready to check out the coolest guy to ever wear a pink vest? Then let's check out Prince Adam after the break...

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Minifigure Review: He-Man VS Beast Man from Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx by Mattel

  The Masters of the Universe Mega Construx line has had a pretty decent character selection so far although they do tend to return to a few of the old standbys quite often. Today I'm checking out a new 2-pack that features new variants of He-Man and Beast Man, two figures who have definitely had their fair share of figures in the line. I haven't heard of these showing up at retail yet (I found mine on Amazon) but I suspect it'll sell for around $10 dollars. It's a nice way for new collectors to pick up two of the main characters at once and for those of us who have been following the line for awhile to get some variants that seem to be based on the vintage toys. Let's check out He-Man VS Beast Man after the break and see who will be the victor...


Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Toy Review: Mer-Man from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

    Ready to check out another cool "Figural Bag Clip" from Monogram International's Masters of the Universe line of bag clips? Then let's check out Mer-Man! Mer-Man is definitely one of the A-list Evil Warriors and he nearly always makes it into any MOTU line. This is a really cool and colorful clip and the rubbery, exaggerated design really suits Mer-Man well. I absolutely realize that my reviews of these clips are less reviews and more a few pictures and shots but since these are new I do want to cover them, plus they've fun to show off. Let's take a look at Mer-Man after the break and see how he'd look on your beach bag....

Monday, March 16, 2020

Action Figure Review: Galaxy from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 Galaxy is the third figure in the latest series of Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series action figures and today I'm checking him out. Off the bat, I gotta say that this is a figure that looks way cooler in hand than in photos. The in-game Galaxy skin was offered as a Samsung Purchase Bonus for a week or so in August 2018 if you bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or a Galaxy Tab S4. I assume those are phones but not having a smart phone, I really can't tell you much about them. I can tell you that Galaxy seems to be a cool, cosmic, celestial being whose tagline is "Victory is written in the stars." That's pretty similar to one of Stardust's catchphrases back in 2014 and 2015, right? Let's take a closer look at Galaxy and see what this combat constellation has got going on. More after the break...

Action Figure Review: Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by NECA

    For years the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles master license was held by Playmates and anyone else making TMNT product was severely limited as to what they make and where they could sell it. Even when NECA obtained the TMNT license in 2016 they were limited as to how they could offer product, leading to lots of very hard to obtain exclusives. Things have improved over the years as now NECA is able to get their products out to a wider (and now international) audience. Today I'm checking out Splinter, based on the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, and he's the final figure from NECA's most recent series of figures that are exclusive to GameStop (I technically didn't review both variations of the Foot Soldier, but the figures themselves are exactly the same). The distribution has been quite good on these thus far, so hats off to both NECA and GameStop. Like the Shredder and the Foot Soldier, Splinter was also part of the SDCC 2019 exclusive set "The Capture of Splinter." While there are a few display pieces and accessories missing, the GameStop releases do deliver all of the figures to collectors in a more budget friendly offering. Splinter is a key TMNT character and the movie version is absolutely one of the most lovable incarnations of the turtles' sensei (though I really love the 2012 and IDW versions, too). Let's check out Splinter after the break...

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Toy Review: Evil-Lyn from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

   Over the next week or two I'm going to be checking out quite a few of the Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International. I don't have a full set yet (I'm still missing Battle Armor He-Man, Battle Armor Skeletor, and Orko) but I have the rest. Today I'm checking out Evil-Lyn. Evil-Lyn almost always seems to be one of the first choices in any new MOTU product line now and this version is clearly based on her Filmation appearance. Let's check out another bag clip in this series after the break...

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Action Figure Review: Foot Soldier (Bladed Weapons) from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by NECA

    The 1990 film has long been one of my favorite (if not my favorite) incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I'm thrilled that NECA's 7-inch figures based on the film are getting a bit easier to find. The distribution on this series through GameStop has been quite good as I've seen every figure in the series multiple times at at least 3 or 4 locations. Hopefully Walmart's distribution is as good later this year for the rest of the line (Walmart is very, very hit or miss with their exclusives). For series 2 of this line NECA has offered up two versions of the Foot Soldiers: One with Bladed Weapons and one with Melee Weapons. So far as I know both figures are the same except for the weapons so I ended up just grabbing one figure, going with the Bladed Weapons version simply because of the really cool ax. Let's check this guy out after the break and see if he possess the effort, discipline, and loyalty to earn the right to wear the dragon dochi...

Friday, March 13, 2020

Toy Review: He-Man from Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International

 Almost 4 years ago I reviewed a Batgirl keychain from Monogram International and now I'm finally looking at another item the company has released: A He-Man bag clip! There is quite a bit of new Masters of the Universe product out right now, which is awesome! For years MOTU has felt like a very niche property but now it seems to be getting the recognition it deserves. The Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips have been showing up at Target and Hot Topic over the past couple of weeks. I ordered mine from Hot Topic as they were available online and I found some coupons to use to get 30% off my order. The set has 11 different bag clips: He-Man, Prince Adam, Skeletor, Orko, Evil-Lyn, Faker, Mer-Man, Beast Man, Stratos and two "chase" clips: Battle Armor He-Man and Battle Armor Skeletor. I didn't find either of the chase clips and I'm still missing Orko, too. I got He-Man, though, so let's check him out after the break...

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Action Figure Review: Sentinel from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

   A new series of Fortnite: Legendary Series figures have been popping up lately and it's time for a review of another one. Today I'm checking out Sentinel, a mechanical, armored chicken who looks quite a bit like the Gundam mobile suit Tallgeese. Sentinel just appeared in Fortnite in May of last year, which makes it amazing to me that Jazwares is able to already have this shelves. Don't Mattel and Hasbro usually claim it takes them almost 2 years to get an action figure to market? Did Jazwares really have a massive head start on this toy even before it was released? Seriously, Jazwares is a company to watch this year as there stuff across multiple licenses just keeps looking better and better. With a pearlescent plastic body Sentinel looks rather different than most of the other figures in the line. Unfortunately, he also has a few problems I haven't seen before in this line, so everything isn't perfect. Let's take a look and see what's up with Sentinel after the break...

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Action Figure Review: Purrrplor from Mythic Legions by Four Horsemen Studios

    Over the past couple of years I have very slowly been building up a small collection of Mythic Legions figures, mostly due to the Masters of the Universe homage figures the Four Horsemen have been including in the line. The Wasteland series includes two homages to the denizens of Eternia: Kronnaw (who's totally not Trap Jaw) and Purrrplor, who I'm reviewing today. A villainous, purple cat with green armor, Purrrplor is totally not Panthor, Skeletor's villainous, purple cat who wore green armor. OK, all kidding aside, the Four Horsemen have been an absolutely key part of the Masters of the Universe brand for nearly the past 20 years so it only makes sense for them to homage the characters who helped to make them a household name in their own toyline. Cowarros, the homage figure to Battle Cat/ Cringer, was released last year so it only made sense that we'd see a Panthor tribute figure at some point soon. Here he is! Let's check out Purrrplor after the break and see how he stacks up against his heroic counterpart.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Toy Review: Hordak from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Sonic/ C3

    Both Mattel and Super7 failed to include Hordak in their toylines for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power but Sonic came through! There are two Hordak figures available in the Sonic Wacky Pack kids meals and I'm going to check one of them out today. Can you believe it? You're living in a day and age when you can get a toy of Hordak as a promotional item from a fast food restaurant. Marvelous! Like She-Ra, Hordak is a stylized plastic figure, kind of like a Funko POP! or one of the original Hasbro Mighty Muggs. There are two versions of him: One that's all black with red eyes and the standard version I'm checking out today. Let's see what the ruthless leader of the Evil Horde is up to at Sonic after the break...

Minifigure Review: Stratos from Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx by Mattel

 Earlier this year I reviewed the Stratos minifigure from the fifth series of the Mega Construx Heroes figures that ended up being notoriously difficult to find last year until it started showing up at discount outlets. That was a pretty cool figure and today I'm checking out a variant of it that has been released in the first series of single carded Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx figures. There are a couple variants of Stratos in the vintage MOTU line and this figure nicely offers the rest of them. While the first Mega Construx Stratos had red wings with a blue jetpack, this version has the blue wings with a red jetpack and has the blue beard. Yes, some of the earliest Stratos figures had a head with reversed colors: Stratos' usual gray beard and blue goggle outlines became a blue beard with gray goggle outlines. Since you can mix and match parts here, you should be able to come up with every vintage Stratos variant out there with this guy and the previous release. Let's check out this heroic winged warrior after the break...

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Toy Review: She-Ra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Sonic/ C3

    I'm not the biggest fan of Sonic Drive-Ins but you better believed I showed up there when I learned that they were going to feature She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. I stopped by one on my lunch break and ended up getting two sets of 5 of the 8 available items for me and my daughter. These are based on the Netflix/ Dreamworks series, so they're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I like them. For me, there was something pretty amazing about being able to go to a fast food joint and order some She-Ra toys. While I was there they also had an announcement playing that talked about the Wacky Pack kids meals which features the announcer saying "For the Honor of Grayskull." Pretty surreal, really. The first figure I'm checking out is She-Ra herself. She's a stylized plastic figure, kind of like a Funko POP! or one of the original Hasbro Mighty Muggs. Let's check out She-Ra after the break...

Action Figure Review: Beef Boss from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

   A new set of Fortnite: Legendary Series figures by Jazwares have dropped over the last week or two and I'm going to start making my way through them! The new set features Sentinel, Ruin, Galaxy, and Beef Boss. Beef Boss is today's review subject and, let me say, he's pretty cool. He's pretty wacky, too. Fortnite really mixes up their character selection and Beef Boss absolutely feels like he wouldn't be out of place in McDonaldland. Maybe he could be Mayor McCheese's enforcer or something? In Fortnite Beef Boss is part of the Durrr Burger set which includes lots of other fast food themed items and skins. I kind of want a Sizzle Sgt., too. She'd just be so cool and random, right? I mean, how many gun toting fast food workers are in your toy collection? Let's check out the Beef Boss after the break...

Friday, March 6, 2020

Minifigure Review: Skeletor from Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx by Mattel

    I told you I was going to roll through the rest of this series! Today I'm checking out the new Skeletor Mega Construx figure from the Masters of the Universe line. This is the fourth unique Skeletor release in the Mega Construx line so far (the original figure from 2017 and the figure from the Battle for Eternia Collection are the same). The first two releases remind me more of the Masters of the Universe Classics Skeletor while the figure included with Castle Grayskull seems more inspired by the vintage toy or the minicomics. Due to the colors here, and the Havoc staff, I'm pretty sure this is intended to be the Filmation version of the Evil Lord of Destructon. Let's see how this guy stacks up alongside the rest of the Skeletors after the break...

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Old School MOTU: Snake Teela from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

    As I'm continuing to narrow my collecting focus you're going to start seeing more and more reviews of older Masters of the Universe stuff. I've been selling of some stuff here and there and picking up some pieces I've been missing from the excellent 2002/ 200x Masters of the Universe toyline. Mattel released quite a few boxed exclusive figures during the short run of the line and, just offhand, I think Snake Teela is the last of those boxed figures I was missing. She's not a terribly expensive figure by any means, but she's not a dime a dozen, either. In the second season episode of the MYP cartoon series "Second Skin" King Hsss uses the Serpent's Ring to turn a number of folks, including Man-At-Arms, Mekaneck, and Teela into Snakemen. While Masters of the Universe Classics features a Snake Man-At-Arms figure (which, if I recall, was kind of less than popular), the earlier 200x line ToyFare magazine offered up Snake Teela as a mail-away exclusive. It's definitely one of the more interesting variants from the 200x series, so let's check Snake Teela out after the break...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Minifigure Review: Prince Adam from Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx by Mattel

    I can't believe it has almost been a month since I last reviewed one of these little guys! I have the rest of series one of the single carded Masters of the Universe: Mega Construx figures sitting here, so let's get cracking! Today I'm checking out Prince Adam who is absolutely one of my favorite characters. I don't care what you think; I love Prince Adam, Cringer, and Orko. They're fun, good-natured, colorful, and fabulous! While he's not technically a "new" character (unless you've never realized that Adam bears an uncanny resemblance to another muscular, blonde Eternia dude) he's a different enough figure in my book to not just be considered a variant. Let's check out Prince Adam after the break...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Old School MOTU: Keldor from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

    I recently managed to pick up a figure from Mattel's 2002 Masters of the Universe line that I've wanted for quite some time but just hadn't been able to acquire: Keldor! While it was alluded to in the vintage minicomic "The Search for Keldor" that Skeletor and Keldor might be one and the same, it wasn't until the Mike Young Productions cartoon series that the connection was made clear. Ever since them, Keldor has been a key part of Skeletor's origin story and it's doubtful we'll see any future media ignore it. Keldor was released as the SDCC 2003 exclusive back when the 200x line was still going. The 200x line had quite a few prominent characters offered as exclusives (She-Ra, Faker, Moss Man) but Keldor was definitely one of the most difficult to come by. Let's check back this now classic exclusive figure after the break...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Action Figure Review: Ragnarok: Max Level from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 Jazwares really impressed me with their Fortnite: Legendary Series figures last year and 2020 sounds seems like it's going to be another great year for them. Not only does it seem like lots of cool Fortnite stuff is coming (I should actually be getting Beef Boss and Sentinel in the mail tomorrow!) but they also had a great showing of new action figures based on AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and Halo. Seriously, Jazwares seems to really be on a roll lately with big plans. Their Fortnite: Legendary Series line has been interesting as they just kind of drop figures out of nowhere, which is what happened with Ragnarok. He just kind of showed up out of nowhere on Amazon back in January. I've had him for over a month but I'm just now getting around to checking him out! Like Omega, Ragnarok is a "Max Level" deluxe release that includes multiple outfit parts so that you can create all of the different looks for his tiered in-game appearances. Ragnarok is part of the Harbinger set alongside his counterpart Valkyrie (who is still the line's lone female figure). Let's check this guy out after the break...