While I review lots of Masters of the Universe items and an almost equally large amount of specifically Skeletor based collectibles, today I'm checking out something a bit different. It's the Havoc Staff Scaled Prop Replica from Factory Entertainment. Coming in at about 8 inches and made of solid metal this is an interesting and more cost efficient way to get a version of Skeletor's signature weapon in your collection. Factory Entertainment has a 6 3/4 foot 1:1 scale replica coming out but I just couldn't bite on that release for $600 dollars. This one is available for around $30 and does offer up something we haven't seen much in MOTU collectibles. Yeah, there have been kids roleplay items in the past and the Icon Heroes letter openers but so far as I can recall we haven't received any items billed as prop replicas. That definitely is an interesting term to use here as this version of the Havoc Staff isn't based on the 1987 film's Havoc Staff; it's based on the vintage toy. Is it still a prop replica if it's not based on a live-action prop? Pushing semantics aside it's very cool to see the MOTU license diversify more by offering more "higher end" items. I received both the Power Sword and the Havoc Staff a week or two ago but I'm going to start with the Havoc Staff. Let's take a look at Skeletor's evil tool of destruction after the break...
Height: 8 inches tall
Composition: Solid metal
Scale: Around 1/10th
Non-Scalper Price: $30 dollars
* The Havoc Staff comes packaged in a collector friendly durable box with an opening top. The top easily lifts off to reveal the Havoc Staff inside of a molded tray and covered with another plastic overlay. You can take it in and out quite easily and overall it does a fine job of holding the item and showing off what's inside.
* What you see is definitely what you're getting here: An 8 inch solid metal Havoc Staff. It has a nice heft to it and feels like a very durable, very sturdy collectible. At around 8 inches it's larger than the Havoc Staff you would find with a Masters of the Universe Classics Skeletor but smaller than what you'd get with one of Mondo's 1/6th scale figures.
* The focal point of the Havoc Staff is the ram skull on top. This is where factory Entertainment got the chance to show off some sculpted detail in the metal, particularly in the indentations in the skull and the segments of the horn.
* Rather than give their own take on things Factory Entertainment really did stick very closely to the source material, particularly the vintage toy's staff. The shaft of the staff is smooth with just the unusual ornamentation right below the head piece and the ball on the bottom. The metal work and paint feels very smooth with no rough edges or uneven spots.
* While there's not a lot of colors variation on the Havoc Staff what is here is quite nice. I really like the metallic purple color chosen. It's not really the color we've seen for the Havoc Staff but it helps it stand out and definitely shows off the sold metal nature of the collectible. The choice to use black paint to color in the recesses of the ram skull was also a good choice as it adds a bit more realism.
The Negatives:
* My biggest complaint with the Havoc Staff is that there really isn't a great way to display it. You can leave it in the box or use the box insert but that's not terribly attractive. I really wish Factory Entertainment would have crafted a small stand to hold the item, either horizontally or vertically, and perhaps with a small name plate. Presentation is key for a prop replica and that would have been a nice touch.
Are you in the market for a 1/10th scale metal Havoc Staff? If so, that is exactly what you're getting here. It's a cool item and a very recognizable MOTU weapon but there's something about the finished product that seems far less exciting than it should have been. Maybe it's the lack of a clear way to display this or perhaps it's the fact that it's mostly one color. yeah, that's correct for the toy, but other media representations of Skeletor have always given the staff more color. I think I would have liked to have seen Factory Entertainment give the Havoc Staff a bit of a more stylized touch. More colors and a more elaborate sculpt would have been nice. As it is, this gets a Good from me. It's not priced too high by any means but there's really not all that much to get too excited about. I'm curious to hear from others who bought this. How do you feel about it? Is this exactly what you wanted or would you have rather seen something a bit different and more exciting?
I haven't reviewed any other solitary Havoc Staffs but I have reviews lots of Skeletor figures, nearly all of which came with Havoc Staffs. Check out Snake Mountain for all of my Skeletor reviews!
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