Sunday, September 27, 2020

Minifigure Review: Skeletor from Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis by Mattel

 

   It's time for another review from Mattel's Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis line and this time I'm checking out Skeletor from series 1. Hasn't there already been a Skeletor figure in the minis? Kind of. Back in 2013 Mattel released a Masters of the Universe He-Man and Skeletor 2-pack as an SDCC exclusive but those figures were larger than the minis we have now. When the line fully launched in 2014 through MattyCollector Mattel shrunk the figures down to just a little over 2 inches but didn't release a standard Skeletor. They only released Battle Armor Skeletor. Well, now we finally have a standard Skeletor in the main MOTU minis scale. Let's check him out after the break and see if he's still as evil despite being a minute menace!


The Facts:

Height: 2 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel waist, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Havoc Staff and 2 piece Castle Grayskull case.

Non-Scalper Price: $5 dollars

ID Number: B

Comparison:

* On the left is the new Eternia Minis Skeletor, in the center is the original MOTU Minis Skeletor from SDCC 2013, and on the right is the MOTU Minis Battle Armor Skeletor from 2014. The arms and legs see the same on all figures (though the middle one is obviously larger) though the headsculpt looks different on the new figure. The paintwork is also less elaborate with fewer highlights and such.

The Positives:

* Skeletor looks pretty cool overall. His color are very bright and bold, almost like the vintage toy or even the new MOTU Origins Skeletor. The sculpt is nice and looks good in this smaller scale, though is is a scaled down version of Skeletor from the 2013 SDCC 2-pack.


 * Most of these little guys have four points of articulation which may not seem like a lot except you gotta consider they're only a little over 2 inches tall. That's not bad for that scale! They're very durable little figures and would probably fit in well with lines like Imaginext and the Hasbro Heroes figures, so if you have a little one who's into MOTU these could be some decent starter toys. They're fun to play with and have a lot of shelf presence!

 

* Skeletor comes toting his Havoc Staff. It looks a little like the one from the MOTU Minis set from 2014 though the handle is a bit thicker.

* The Eternia Minis come blind packaged but it's actually not a bad thing at all. First, there is actually a very prominent code on the bottom of the package identifying the figure inside (Skeletor is "B"), so you don't have to truly buy these without knowing what you're getting. Second, the packaging is a very cool plastic Castle Grayskull. It actually separates in half and you can connect them with other Grayskulls to make a long chain of castle faces. It's a cool sculpt and some of the best blind packaging I've ever seen.

 

* Furthermore, the Castle Grayskull container functions as a really cool display stand. There are two pegs on top that plug into the figure's feet. When you connect a row of these together you can have a long display stand for multiple figures.







The Negatives:

* Is there something a bit odd about Skeletor's face to you? He doesn't look all that Skeletal. I think some of it's the design style of the line (giving everyone big chins and massive underbites to make them look swole) but Skeletor loses some of his charm like this, I think.

   This is a pretty cool miniature rendition of Skeletor and while I'm not loving the headsculpt everything else about this little guy is on point. He's bright, menacing, and fits in well with the rest of the line. The MOTU Eternia Minis are really nice minifigures and I'm excited to have a standard Skeletor in the series. Oddly enough, this exact figure is part of the Snake Mountain themed series 2 as well. This is a Great mini and well worth hunting down. 



I've reviewed so many toys based on Skeletor/ Keldor that I've given him his own review archive. Check out Snake Mountain for a plethora of Skeletor reviews!

 Are you in the market for a Castle Grayskull of your own? I've also checked out the M.U.S.C.L.E. green Castle Grayskull, the Masters of the Universe Minis Castle Grayskull, the series 1 Eternia Minis Buzz-OffHorde Zombie He-ManJitsu, Man-At-Arms, Ram Man, and He-Man, who each come packaged in a mini plastic Castle Grayskull, the Mega Construx Castle Grayskull, the Colorforms Deluxe Play Set which has a Castle Grayskull background, and the Masters of the Universe Classics Castle Grayskull.

For more Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis check out the following:


No comments:

Post a Comment

What'chu talkin' 'bout?