March Magic! Orko #566 from POP! Television: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

Today is the sixth and final installment of March Magic, a month-long celebration of all things Orko!

 

   Let's take a look at one final Orko collectible this month: Orko #566 from POP! Television by Funko! Released in 2017 this was part of the second era of Funko's Masters of the Universe releases and was heavily influenced by the Filmation animated series. Orko is very Filmation inspired here although he does have a detail that seems more inspired by the 200x series and Masters of the Universe Classics: His wand! The vintage Orko toy didn't have a wand and his wands in the Filmation series were pretty plain so the Four Horsemen designed a new wand for Orko in the 200x toyline that was reminiscent of ripcord from his vintage action figure. Funko likely based their design on Orko's appearance in MOTUC which gave Orko the 200x inspired wand as one of his accessories. Ready for a POP! vinyl review of a 1980s pop culture icon? Then join me after the break...

 

Toy Review: Masters of the Universe 5-pack from Hot Wheels Character Cars: Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   Last year Mattel introduced the Masters of the Universe characters into the Hot Wheels Character Cars brand but I didn't find any until around mid-January. While I rarely gave these a second look when any other property got Character Cars Masters of the Universe always gets a pass from me and I was really excited by these. This set seems to be available through online retailers and it includes all five Character Cars from last year's line (Beast Man, He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, and Man-At-Arms) in one box. I only reviewed Teela and Man-At-Arms from their single packed releases so this is a nice chance to check out the other three in the set. Let's rev up our Road Rippers and check out these bizarre, oil leaking versions of our favorite Eternians after the break...

Toy Review: Battle Mode Kobra Khan from Vinyl SODA by Funko

 

   When Funko listed the exclusives for the Funko Virtual Con Spring 2021 earlier this month I was able to order both of the Vinyl SODA figures available: Kobra Khan and Man-At-Arms. I had already ordered the Mantenna POP! vinyl through Walmart but I missed the Pez set (had to obtain that one elsewhere) but I was glad to get my hands on the Vinyl SODA releases as they're one of my current favorite toylines. They arrived in the mail last week and I was thrilled to discover when I opened Kobra Khan that I actually got the limited variant: Battle Mode Kobra Khan! Each of the Vinyl SODA releases has a chase variant and this is the first time I've pulled one from a can. How exciting! This is actually the first Vinyl SODA chase variant I've owned, too! Let's take a look at Battle Mode Kobra Khan and see if he's worth the hunt after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire 3/26/2021: Defeating Voldemort, Tak, and Lubdan Edition

 

 Hey everyone!

   Wow, what a week! We've had a mixture of gorgeous weather and crazy storms, I did a little plumbing, and I'm starting to make plans to see friends in the next month or so since my wife and I get our Covid vaccines today. We're also still making out way through Phase III of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but, first up, we gotta talk about the premiere episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier...

   The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is off to a good start although the two heroes have yet to meet up in this show so far. Still, it's nice to spend more time with Sam and Bucky. Their appearances in the films have usually been during crisis and this show gives us a chance to get to know them as people, seeing the unique struggles each of them faces. Sam's dealing with family struggles, celebrity, the fallout of having disappeared during The Snap, and the weight of Cap's shield and legacy, while Bucky is dealing with guilt, forgiveness, probably some form of PTSD, and the struggle of being a man out of time with seemingly no purpose. At first I really thought that Bucky's friend was a now very elderly Jim Morita (one of the Howling Commandos) but it turns out that he is Mr. Nakasima, the father of a man killed by the Winter Soldier who is still grieving for his son. While the opening battle scene between the Falcon and some enemy forces is quite excellent the episode excels in smaller, uncomfortable scenes like Sam and his sister, Sarah, trying to get a loan from a local bank while all the bank officer can do is want selfies with the Falcon. The scenes of Bucky reluctantly meeting with his therapist and going on a date are just as engaging as the scenes of Torres infiltrating the eerily too familiar riots of the Flag Smashers. TFATWS is a more straight forward show than WandaVision but there are still plenty of questions to be answered going forward like who will ultimately become the new Captain America, who are the Flag Smashers and what is their end goal, what will the Avengers look like when the next major crisis hits, and who is that smug looking fake Captain America? Obviously they're going with a US Agent storyline here but it'll be interesting to see how this show tackles it. So far so good and I'm excited to watch episode 2 tonight!

More of Barbecue's Bonfire after the break...

March Magic! Orko (Exclusive) from Masters of the Universe by Sideshow Collectibles

 

It's time for the fifth installment of March Magic, a monthlong celebration of all things Orko!

 While there has been no shortage of product since Mattel started heavily licensing out Masters of the Universe around 2013 most of it has relied on the designs of either the vintage toyline or the Filmation animated series. Sideshow's series of high end 1/5th scale Masters of the Universe statues presented collectors with some amazing new interpretations of some of Eternia's and Etheria's most beloved denizens, however, and that's why it's one of the most exciting MOTU endeavors of the past 5-10 years. Under Sidwshow, the line began in 2016 with He-Man and ended with Orko in very late 2018/ early 2019. That's not terribly long but fortunately Tweeterhead has picked the line back up and their first release in the same scale and style, Hordak, is shipping now. Of course we're here today to talk about Orko. Created for the Filmation cartoon series Orko had a very simple, animated appearance that clearly designated him as a Saturday morning comic relief sidekick. In the 2002 Masters of the Universe line Orko was redesigned and sculpted by the Four Horsemen to emphasize the character's role as a powerful mage. In most media Orko is depicted as being powerful but somewhat inept due to the magical laws of Eternia being different from his native Trolla. Sideshow's vision of Orko presents a character who still seems lovable but who also just exudes an aura of powerful magical ability. This is a spellcaster you'd surely want on your side, right? Sideshow released two versions of this statue: A standard release and an exclusive with an extra arm holding a magical text in his hand. We're looking at the exclusive version of Orko today after the break...

Action Figure Barbecue: Aerial Threat from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 

   Full disclosure: I'm just not a sports fan in any way. I never really have been, either. That being said, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I typically find sports figures pretty boring. I mean... why? Anyways, today I'm checking out the Fortnite: Legendary Series Aerial Threat figure from Jazwares. In a line filled with space skeletons, sentient bananas, and killer tomatoes, a plain old soccer player is pretty dull. Fortunately, Aerial Threat comes with a nice complement of weapons that convinced me to pick him up. Still, though; couldn't they have went with one of the female soccer skins? That would have least made the figure standout more since Jazwares doesn't seem to have any interest in putting the women in the line. Hopefully that's somethin Hasbro will do better when they take over the 6-inch Fortnite license in 2022. For now it's still Jazwares' party so let's check out their take on Aerial Threat after the break...

Action Figure Review: Skeletor on Throne #68 from POP! Retro Toys by Funko

 

   I'm pretty sure Funko has released more Skeletor POP! vinyls than they have He-Man POP! vinyls and the latest release is a pretty amazing one: Skeletor on Throne #68. Released as a "Funko Target-Con 2021" exclusive (which means scalper city), Skeletor on his throne is a deluxe release that features a regular sized Skeletor POP! sitting on a really cool version of his bone throne. I will give Target and Funko credit in that this guy has been available online quite a few times, so hopefully you'll be able to get your hands on one if you need this guy for your collection. And wow, do you need this guy for your collection. He's hands down one of my favorite POP! vinyl releases ever! Let's take a look at Skeletor on Throne #68 after the break...

Vehicle Review: Land Shark from Hot Wheels Premium: Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   While Hot Wheels has released Masters of the Universe themed cars off and on since the 1980s, it was only last year that they released a Hot Wheels MOTU vehicle based on an actual design from the vintage toyline. To follow up last year's Wind Raider this year we now have the Land Shark, AKA the best MOTU vehicle of all time. Seriously, I love the Land Shark and it's not received much attention in the years between it's 1985 release and 2021. This year we have both this Hot Wheels Land Shark and the MOTU Origins Land Shark! 2021 might be the Year of the Ox but on Eternia it's the year of the shark, baby! Let's check out this 1/64th scale Land Shark after the break....

Action Figure Review: Trap Jaw from Masters of the Universe: Origins by Mattel

 

   Trap Jaw is part of the second series of Masters of the Universe Origins figures and while some Walmart stores did get the series in last year it seems like most folks are finding him in 2021. Trap Jaw may not have originated in the the original series of 1982 Masters of the Universe figures but that doesn't seem to hurt his popularity as he's easily one of the most well-loved villains in the property. I have fond memories of getting Trap Jaw as a kid (I feel like I got him as a Christmas present) and I've always liked his unique design. The MOTU Origins Trap Jaw feels like kind of a mix between the vintage figure and the Filmation design, probably due to the brighter colors of the Origins line. Let's take a look at Trap Jaw and see if he's still a menacing master of evil!

March Magic! Orko from Pint Size Heroes: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

It's time for the fourth installment of March Magic, a monthlong celebration of all things Orko!

   Funko has really put out a lot of Masters of the Universe product since they first got the license in 2013, but over the past 4 years  or so they've really been on a roll. Today I'm checking out Orko from Masters of the Universe Pint Size Heroes, a blind bagged series of Dorbz-like minifigures from 2018. In most of their MOTU lines, other than POP! vinyls, Funko doesn't go to far outside of the main MOTU characters who were key parts of the Filmation cast, so Orko made his way into most every line they produced. I remember finding lots of these little guys at places like Books-a-Million and FYE (FYE had three exclusive figures in their series) and trying to pick out the figures I was looking for. Later on it was far easier to just pick up most of the basic figures I was looking for secondhand, though the FYE figures definitely jumped up in price. When you need a little magic in your day this miniature Orko is a welcome pal! Let's check him out after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire 3/19/2021: Four Marvels, a Puzzle, and a Pot of Gold Edition

 

   Welcome, welcome, welcome! It's Friday again and it's time for another installment of Barbecue's Bonfire! This week my family has finished Phase II of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and began our journey into Phase III. We also celebrated St. Patrick's day with a great dinner and some fantastic deserts. We've had some beautiful days this week and some really stormy ones, so there's been a nice mixture of getting outside and playing and sitting inside hunkered down on the couch. I'm super excited for the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tonight so we'll definitely be picking up some pizza this evening and checking it out. Meanwhile, let me continue with my thoughts on the rest of the MCU films we've watched this week starting with Avengers: Age of Ultron.

   Last weekend we watched 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. When I saw this film originally I remember thinking it seemed a bit long in places with lots of dead weight. I've definitely seen it since then but watching it this time, in connection with the rest of the films, I liked it much better. It's quite good and while it's not as much fun as the first Avengers film it definitely moves the narrative forward, making for a logical step on the way to Civil War. Having Ultron be Tony's creation, resulting in a tool meant for good becoming a weapon of destruction, definitely adds some more nuance to the villain and makes Ultron one of the more memorable MCU villains. Since my wife and I our watching these with our daughter we've been splitting up some of the movies over two nights and I think this actually makes some of the longer films more enjoyable as you can focus on some of the stuff that seems extraneous on a regular viewing (Thor's visions, the time on the Barton family farm). I'm still impressed how the actors of the MCU embody their characters even when no one is wearing their costumes or in battle. The dialogue is perfect, giving everyone a chance to shine. 

Continue after the break for more of Barbecue's Bonfire!

Barbecue's Ramblings: How Might Hasbro's Fortnite: Victory Royale Series Differ from Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series?

 

   Over the past month or so it has become clear that Hasbro has expanded their Fortnite licensing agreement with Epic Games and now they're moving on from just NERF blasters to actually releasing Fortnite action figures. The news first popped up on February 25th, 2021 though the preorder for a Fortnite branded Snake Eyes in late January (a repaint from the G.I. Joe: Classified Series) definitely caused a lot of speculation. Jazwares and McFarlane have both held the Fortnite action figure license with both companies beginning to release product in late 2018. While McFarlane's output has slowed tremendously Jazwares continues to put out a lot of product and it seems like they will continue to do so, but only releasing product under 6-inches starting in 2022. Now Hasbro has officially announced the Fortnite: Victory Royale Series presumably a 6-inch scaled Fortnite line. We'll know more details on March 26 but, for now, I'd like to take a few minutes and speculate how Hasbro's Fortnite: Victory Royale line might differ from Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series line. 

   Since first appearing on store shelves during the summer of 2019 Jazwares' 6-inch scaled Fortnite: Legendary Series has become a collector favorite. Over forty figures have been released in the line within the past 2 years and fans have praised their unique sculpts, sharp paint applications, wacky designs, and plethora of weapons. Including backpacks, weapons, in-game accessories, and often interchangeable faceplaces with each figure, Jazwares' Legendary Series has definitely stood out from other 6-inch offerings in the action figure aisle in the accessory department, giving Jazwares a solid hit and helping them to gain some shelf space at most retailers. It's quite funny how common it is to hear action figure collectors stating that they collect the line despite never even having played Fortnite! Now that Hasbro is taking over the 6-inch range of Fortnite things are inevitably going to change. I've thought of a handful of positives and negatives to Hasbro taking over the 6-inch Fortnite license which I'll ramble on about after the break...

  

Action Figure Review: The Scientist from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 

   Unfortunately 2021 is the last year for Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series as Hasbro takes over the 6 inch scaled Fortnite license in 2022. Jazwares will still be releasing the 1/18th scaled and 2-inch figures but the line I've been collecting is transitioning to Hasbro. It seems like we'll get to know a bit more at Hasbro's upcoming Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest on April 9th and I'm definitely excited. I like Hasbro's product although I do hate the idea that Jazwares has done an overall great job with the Fortnite 6-inch brand since 2019 and now that it's a proven success Hasbro has muscled in to take it over. I'm probably going to end up writing a Barbecue's Ramblings piece covering my thoughts on this, so for now I'll focus on The Scientist, who is actually a variant of The Visitor from an alternate timeline. The Scientist is part of the new Legendary Series Brawlers subset which consist of larger figures with more complex weaponry. They're about $5 bucks more, too, so I guess you'd consider them to be deluxe releases. I haven't seen Meowscles or Kit yet so this is the first of the Brawlers I've been able to get my hands on. Let's take a look at The Scientist after the break and see if bigger really is better...

Action Figure Review: Panthor from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Whenever Battle Cat is released Panthor is sure to follow! Mattel released Battle Cat in Masters of the Universe Origins at the end of last summer and they've simply reused the mold to give us Panthor. That's how the vintage line and MOTUC did things, though, so it makes perfect sense to follow suit, especially given that MOTU Origins is such a nostalgia driven line. There's always been a lot of symmetry in MOTU and for the vintage second series of figures from 1983Mattel released heroic and evil counterparts for many figures. Besides releasing Zoar and Screeech (heroic and evil falcons) and Man-E-Faces and Tri-Klops (heroic and evil figures with three faces/eyes), Mattel also released Faker (evil He-Man), Evil-Lyn (an evil counterpart for Teela), and Panthor, the evil counterpart to Battle Cat. While the vintage Panthor was flocked to further set him part from Battle Cat Mattel has made the standard MOTU Origins Panthor unflocked with the flocked version coming as a Walmart exclusive. Ready to look at Skeletor's evil mount? Then join me after the break...

March Magic! Orko from Dorbz: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

    It's time for the third installment of March Magic, a monthlong celebration of all things Orko!

    I've reviewed a few of the Masters of the Universe Dorbz figures in the past but I never got around to Orko so today I'm remedying that! Funko's Dorbz line started in 2015 and the last release was in June of 2019, so it seems that the line is effectively now dead. Orko was released in 2017 which was when the MOTU Dorbz figures first hit shelves. Orko is from the Specialty Series which meant you had to get hit from smaller retailers and e-tailers so he was a bit tougher to come by, but not much. Most of the Dorbz these days can be had for their original retail price or less so it's not terribly difficult to complete a set of these. I like the Dorbz style and Orko's a very charming figure in the line. He definitely reminds me of the Black Mages from the Final Fantasy games here, especially with his slightly spooky eyes. Let's take a look at another fun Orko collectible after the break...

Collectible Review: He-Man from Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative Inc.

 

   I'm really enjoying the Masters of the Universe Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative Inc. so today I'm going to look at another one: He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe! How could you have a Masters of the Universe set of Tiki mugs and not have He-Man present, right? I've already reviewed Mer-Man and Battle Cat last week and He-Man differs from them in that he actually has a paint application on his chest. I like the attention to detail but, at the same time, there's something about it that seems to rob the rest of the design of its power. What do you think? I've never owned a Tiki mug before (I don't know that I've ever even held a Tiki mug before) so I'd love to hear some feedback from others who might be Tiki mug aficionados about these. I'm just speaking as a MOTU fan and collector. Let's take a look at He-Man after the break...

Collectible Review: Mer-Man from Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative, Inc.

 

   Earlier this week I checked out Battle Cat from the Masters of the Universe Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative, Inc. and today I'm checking out another mug from the set: Mer-Man! I really like these as they look fantastic on display and I'm going to flat out say that I think Mer-Man might be the best mug in the set. The color, the sculpt, and just the general idea of Mer-Man as a Tiki mug is just too perfect! Plus, you can use this to drink out of and when you gargle you'll sound like Mer-Man! Let's check this one out after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire 3/12/2021: Wanda, Agatha, Gamora, and Melissa Edition

 

   What's up everyone? My family's journey through the MCU continues plus I spent a lot of time reading this week. First up? WandaVision of course!

  Last week we reached the end of WandaVision and overall I think it was a pretty satisfying series. I loved the television sitcom framing, the weekly pacing of the show (rather than a drop of all episodes), the conversations I had with friends and family every week, the time spent with my family turning this into a Friday night event, and I came to love Wanda and Vision. You'll find a multiverse worth of opinions on the show overall but, ultimately, I think the show's greatest success was really getting viewers attached to Wanda and Vision. After Endgame and the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, it seemed to me that Marvel was going to have a bit of an issue leading into Phase IV with having characters that audiences were heavily invested in like they were with Iron Man, Cap, and Thor. I knew the individual franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel would be OK but what was the future of the Avengers and the MCU as a whole? Maybe WandaVision doesn't completely address that question but whether the future of the MCU is with a new group of Avengers, mutants, or the multiverse, WandaVision gave me some confidence that "secondary" characters can be built up to being A-list draws. The performances were wonderful overall, and that was the main appeal and purpose. We now care more about these characters going in. If The Falcon and The Winter Soldier can do the same thing for Sam and Bucky the Phase IV will be in even better shape.

   Now, for a bit of criticism, I do think the show missed a couple opportunities to tie itself in further to future projects (Doctor Strange not intervening at some point, even if just in an after credits scene) seemed odd given the subject matter of the show, and a few things set up by the show itself didn't pay off, namely Monica Rambeau's comment about having someone who could get her into the hex and Evan Peters' Quicksilver. When you run a weekly show and toss out things like this it definitely encourages fan speculation and often you have folks overhyped with their ideas (Mephisto, anyone?) but those two "teases" were just handled kind of poorly and both were duds. That being said, I'd consider WandaVision taken as a whole to be one of the stronger entries in the MCU canon. I'll probably get around to ranking these as I go through my rewatch of the MCU in the weeks ahead.

More Marvel, Star Wars, Harley Quinn, and witches after the break...

Action Figure Review: Slushy Soldier from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 

    So wait.... this isn't the Winter Soldier?

No, of course not! This is the Slushy Soldier from Jazwares' Fortnite: Legendary Series toyline!  This guy was originally supposed to make it out in time for Christmas like Hasbro's Star Wars: The Black Series holiday figures but like so many Walmart exclusives it was delayed and didn't show up until around February. I guess you'll have to store him in the garage or carport for next year when you get snow, huh? The Slushy Soldier is a Fortnite skin originally from 2018 that depicts a snowman ready for battle. He's got a festive sweater, a gold tooth, and guns galore! Oh, and carrots. Lots and lots of carrots. Let's take a look at the Slushy Soldier after the break and see just how cool he is...

March Magic! Orko from POP! + Pez by Funko

 

Today is our second installment of March Magic, a monthlong celebration of all things Orko!

   Funko has been a huge maker of Masters of the Universe merchandise since 2013 and Orko has made it into most of their various lines so far. Today we're going to check out a sweet treat: An Orko Pez! dispenser! From Funko's POP! + Pez Dispensers line, Orko was released in 2019 as part of the first year of MOTU POP! + Pez! products. Considering the juggernaut that MOTU was in the 1980s it's really surprising that we never saw MOTU Pez dispensers back then, although having a licensed Pez diespenser for everything under the sun definitely didn't seem to start until the mid-late 90s or early 2000s. Did you know my wife used to collect Pez dispensers? It's true. At some point she just lost interest, though, so we've got a few large boxes of Pez dispensers I keep telling her I'll sell off for her. She lost interest and now I'm picking Pez dispensers up! Only the MOTU ones, though. Sheesh, what would have happened if she were still collecting them? Would we have had to have two of each? Would Orko spend time in my collecton and then time in hers? I'm kind of glad she's not collecting them now, I guess. Anyways, Orko is a great fit for this series so let's check him out after the break...

Collectible Review: Battle Cat from Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative Inc.

 

   I've long been familiar with the pop culture adorned Tiki mugs offered by Geeki Tiki and other similar brands but I can't say I ever really had a desire to own any until I saw the promos for the Masters of the Universe mugs over at He-Man.org. Almost immediately I preordered the full set of six. The set includes He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor, Orko, Mer-Man, and Battle Cat, and it's Battle Cat I'm reviewing today. I don't have any plans to drink out of these (although they're truly made for that purpose) but instead they'll be a fun and unique part of my Masters of the Universe collection. Ready to take a dive into the South Pacific inspired Tiki culture? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Frozen Raven from Fortnite: Legendary Series by Jazwares

 

   Sadly, it seems like Hasbro may be taking over the 6 inch Fortnite line from Jazwares, leaving Jazwares with just the 4 inch line. I'm sure Hasbro will make decent figures but I have my doubts that they'll have the same number of accessories as Jazwares' releases. I also don't look forward to seeing them revisit the characters Jazwares has already released or putting out the usual plethora of retailer exclusives that are impossible to find. Jazwares has done a great job with this line and it's a shame that Hasbro was probably able to bully their way in and overtake it after Jazwares proved it was a viable property. Anyways, you're here to hear about Frozen Raven, aren't you? It appears that there was a small subset of "Frozen" Fortnite skins and Raven was one of those. I reviewed the original Raven figure last year (though he was released at the end of 2019) so it's been a minute since he's been on shelves. Is this a worthy repaint? Let's check out Frozen Raven after the break and find out...

Toy Review: Terror Claws Skeletor from POP! Pocket Keychain by Funko

 

 

   Can you believe that there have been four versions of Terror Claws Skeletor released so far this year? Four! There's the regular Funko POP! version, a metallic Target exclusive POP!, and this little POP! Pocket Keychain version in both the standard form, which I'm looking at today, and a metallic Hot Topic exclusive version. Wow! This is clearly the hot variant this year. Hopefully Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Laser Light Skeletor get some attention in the years to come. Whether you use these as actual keychains or bag clips or just take the chain off and use them as minifigures, there's a lot to love about a little tiny Skeletor. He's a whole lotta evil that you can hold in the palm of your hand. Let's take a look at the keychain Terror Claws Skeletor after the break...

Minifigure review: Slime Pit Multipack from Masters of the Universe: Eternia Minis by Mattel

 

  

 Mattel's Masters of the Universe: Eternia Minis arrived in stores around September of last year and proved to pretty popular. Two series of figures made it to shelves last year along with two multi-packs, mostly comprised of repacks, that showed up at Walmart.com. Now that Mattel's MOTU products are available everywhere there is more MOTU product to go around and today I'm checking out the first 2021 Eternia Minis release I've been able to acquire: The Slime Pit Multipack! Currently Mattel is releasing the Eternia Minis on small, single blister cards but originally it seemed the plan for series 3 was to feature the figures in miniature Slime Pit containers. I'm not sure if those are still coming out or not but clearly this Slime Pit Multipack was intended to tie in with the series 3 Slime Pit theme. This is a very collector friendly boxed set of four figures (He-Man, Horde Zombie Buzz-Off, Horde Zombie Zodac, and Teela). Let's take a look at these little Eternians after the break and see if they still have the power despite their diminuitive size...

Barbecue's Bonfire 3/5/2021: Moving Through the MCU Phase 1 and 2 at Light (of the Jedi) Speed Edition

 

   This has been a pretty exciting week! I got some cool stuff in the mail, preordered my Tweeterhead Skeletor bust, watched a ton of Marvel movies with my wife and daughter, finished Light of the Jedi, and got my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Woohoo! You have to take joy in the small things and right now we're really excited that when my wife and I finally get to go see Black Widow our daughter will be able to join us as she's loving the marvel Cinematic Universe! Let's jump in to the happenings of this past week....

   Wanda Vision episode 8 gave us some answer and helped put the series into some context within the wider MCU while raising some more new questions. I enjoyed this "backtracking" episode where we get to see the pasts of Agatha and Wanda and how Wanda's experiences have brought her to this point. This episode completely strips away the sitcom façade and straight up addresses the reality of Wanda's situation, going back to the death of her parents and continuing through her time as a Hydra experiment, her loss of Pietro after the events of Age of Ultron, and the loss of Vision after she returned from the Snap. Thus far, if there's another "big bad" to be revealed like many folks seem to believe I'm not seeing the evidence for it that their seemed to be previously. Agatha seems to be revealing that Wanda, whom she refers to as the Scarlet Witch, is far more powerful than we've ever realized. How much of the Hex is Wanda truly aware that she is creating? What's the deal with Vision in the Hex? Did Wanda somehow create him based on her powers which seem to have been enhanced/ awakened by her presence to the Mind Stone during her captivity with Hydra? We know that the physical body of Vision is still in possession of S.W.O.R.D., now reawakened with the energy Wanda deposited into the drone, so could there be two Visions now? I can't wait to get home and watch this one!

Of course, we're still going through the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies at breakneck speed with my daughter, so more of those after the break...

March Magic! Orko from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

Welcome to our first installment of March Magic, a monthlong celebration of Orko! 

   Today I'm going to be checking out one of the newest Orko toys out there: Orko from Mattel's Masters of the Universe Origins. Orko was originally created by Filmation for the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and his popularity with kids resulted in him making his way into most other MOTU endeavors as well. Orko was released in the vintage MOTU toyline in 1984 as part of the third series of releases so he definitely has a fairly long history in the brand. Last year Mattel released Orko into Masters of the Universe Origins as part of the second series of figures which were all exclusive to Walmart until 2021. Now the toys are showing up in more places although at this point, series 2 is still kind of tough to find. I just got Orko a week or so ago and I knew he'd be a great part of the monthlong festivities. ready to check out the Masters of the Universe Origins Orko? Then join me after the break...

Toy Review: He-Man from Masters of the Universe Magnets by Monogram International

 

 

  Ready for a review of something super new? Then let's check out the He-Man magnet from the Masters of the Universe Magnets from Monogram International. Last March I reviewed Monogram International's Masters of the Universe Figural Bag Clips, a series of blind bagged "chibi" styled bag clips/ key chains and now I'm checking out their blind bagged magnets in the same style.  There are five magnets in the set (He-Man, She-Ra, Orko, Skeletor, and a glow in the dark chase Skeletor) so I ordered five of them from Hot Topic. I only got two different characetrs, so that was kind of a bust, but my daughter was eager to grab a couple of the extras. they're cute and cool magnets for the fridge or whatever other magnetic surface you have that needs a touch of the Power of Grayskull. Let's take a loot at He-Man after the break...

Action Figure Review: She-Ra #38 (Glow-in-the-Dark) from POP! Retro Toys: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   Variants have long been a part of the action figure hobby and sometimes they're pretty cool while other times they're just there to let a company more easily put out a new toy at a reduced cost. Funko releases many POP! vinyl variants and I do try to pick up most of the Masters of the Universe variants that I can get my hands on. To go along with their recent She-Ra #38 from the Retro Toys series Funko also released a Specialty Series Glow-in-the Dark She-Ra. I'm always down for more She-Ra toys and this release made sense since we've gotten glow-in-the-dark variants of He-Man and Skeletor. Why not She-Ra, right? I was curious as to how this POP! would turn out and, frankly, I'm actually pretty disappointed. It's still a nice looking POP! vinyl but the glow-in-the-dark feature is barely noticeable. Since this is a simple variant of the recently released She-Ra #38 this is a shorter review as there aren't too many difference between the two figures. Let's check out this Specialty Series She-Ra #38 after the break...

Action Figure Review: Zodac from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Today I'm checking out the final figure in series 3 of Masters of the Universe Classics and it's none other than Zodac, the neutrally aligned Cosmic Enforcer! As one of the original 8-back figures Zodac certainly has his fans although he tends to be the last popular of the characters from the original series of figures. I always had a tough time figuring out what to do with him as a kid and he didn't really stand out to me until the MOTUC version made the Cosmic Enforcers sort of like the Green Lantern Corps. I like the subset of the Cosmic Enforcers in MOTUC and it really helped give me a new appreciation for this guy. Let's take a look at Zodac after the break...

Toy Review: Scare Glow from Vinyl SODA by Funko

 

   

   Funko's Vinyl SODA was one of my favorite toylines of last year and by starting the year off strong with a release of Scare Glow in the line they're setting themselves up to earn a spot on my list for this year, too! Scare Glow is always a popular character and I'm quite pleased this guy wasn't a convention exclusive. Still, he was kind of hard to find. I never saw him listed for preorder at most e-tailers and he sold out pretty quickly overall. Like most of the Vinyl Soda releases there is a standard edition of Scare Glow (the one I have) and a chase variant of 1,200 pieces that actually glows in the dark. Scare Glow has become one of the most popular Masters of the Universe characters due to his cool appearance and the rarity of his vintage figure so Scare Glow merchandise always tends to sell like Roast Gooble on a stick at the Eternian State Fair. Let's take a look at Scare Glow after the break...

March 2021 is March Magic at Action Figure Barbecue!

 

 

   For March 2021 we'll be celebrating March Magic at Action Figure Barbecue! 

  (Also check out the cool new banner from Matt at The Toy Box!)

   That's right, folks! It's a month long tribute to Trolla's most beloved magician: Orko! I love Orko and I'm really excited to take some time this month to look at a handful of toys based on the character. Originally created by Filmation for the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Orko became a popular part of the Masters of the Universe brand and has shown up in nearly every other incarnation of the property (though most noticeable absent from the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie and The new Adventures of He-man cartoon. In the Filmation cartoon Orko was voiced by Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) and was one of the few people who knew Prince Adam's secret identity. Check out all of the previous Orko themed reviews here at on the site and ready yourself for a few more to magically appear this month:

Funko Boxes by Funko
GameStop Masters of the Universe Box

Masters of the Universe by Mondo (2019)
Man-At-Arms (Mondo Exclusive)

Masters of the Universe by Super7 (2017)
Orko
Shadow Orko

Masters of the Universe Action Vinyls by The Loyal Subjects
Orko

Masters of the Universe: Figural Bag Clips by Monogram International (2020)
Orko

Masters of the Universe: ReAction by Super7 (2015)
Orko
Orko (Cartoon Colors)

M.U.S.C.L.E. Masters of the Universe by Super7 (2015)
#1 Masters of the Universe Set (Green)