Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Action Figure Review: Kol-Darr from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Kol-Darr just arrived on my doorstep a week or two ago and it's about time that I review him! Kol-Darr isn't a character that I was anxiously awaiting for in action figure form, but I am pretty thrilled that we're getting him since he is a character we've never had a toy of before. Kol-Darr appeared in the episode Double Trouble from the second season of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He definitely feels like a character we could have gotten in Masters of the Universe Classics but he works really well in Origins, too, as Kol-Darr has a very classic look that's evocative of the first two years of the vintage toyline. Kol-Darr was a Mattel Creations exclusive and he went on sale on May 27th, 2022. Let's check out another ally for He-Man after the break...

 
   


The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a double balljointed head.

Accessories: Armor, axe, sword, and minicomic.

Non-Scalper Price: $17 dollars








The Packaging:

* Kol-Darr has really nice packaging, just like the rest of the Origins exclusives, and he comes packaged in a cardboard box to protect the card. It's also featuring art of the character on the front and back. 










The Packaging:




* The painting on the back of the card features an image of Kol-Darr battling some creatures with his steed, Shadow Master, swooping in to join him. The picture is very evocative of the work of Frank Frazetta, particularly Death Dealer 2 and one of his Snow Giants. It's pretty awesome and there's even a Frazetta tribute/ credit on the mailer box. 
The Positives:



* Like most Origins figures, Kol-Darr is pretty basic: He uses a standard Origins body with armored boots and a piece of armor that fits over his torso. it's a separate piece made from a rubberier, more flexible plastic. The armor isn't metallic but it's also not mustard yellow like in the cartoon. It's yellow with little flecks of glitter in it. I actually really like it in hand and it fits the brighter aesthetic of the Origins line quite well. 



* Kol-Darr's head is new and he's sporting a horned helmet that covers most of his face except for two thin slits for his eyes (which aren't really visible) and his beard. 

* The MOTU Origins figures are built like the vintage toys but with more modern articulation. While their bulky frames make the articulation a bit clumsy, they do feel like an evolution of the vintage line. Imagine what you would get if you mixed a vintage figure with a MOTUC figure. They're quite fun to play with.

* They're also modular. and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs!



* While Kol-Darr used a wrist mounted laser of some sort in the cartoon, here he comes with two standard battle weapons. First up is an axe. It originally came with Ram Man but it works well here, too. 





* Kol-Darr's second weapon is a copy of the sword included with Fisto and Tri-Klops. It's molded in silver plastic this time around, making for a great, basic accessory. 













* Want to store Kol-Darr's sword? There's a loop on the back of his armor to hold it safely in place. Sweet!















* Kol-Darr also comes with a unique minicomic, "Renegade Raid," that is longer than the average minicomic in this line. It's a tale that initially pits He-Man and Kol-Darr against each other until they realize they're on the same side and are both trying to stop a group of slavers. It's pretty neat, actually. 

The Negatives:



* Kol-Darr has some weird little splotches on his hips and on his shoulder. It's some kind of QC error and I've previously seen it on a few other MOTU Origins figures.

     This is Kol-Darr's first time as an action figure and he turned out quite well. He's not the most exciting Masters of the Universe character or anything but he has a very traditional MOTU look, he's not a character we've seen done multiple times, and his armor and helmet really do stand out. I'm enjoying some of the exclusives Mattel has done for this line and so far most of them have been fairly easy to obtain (Wun-Dar is coming back and Grizzlor will be made to order). Kol-Darr gets a Great from me. I'm sure many Filmation fans are enjoying at his appearance in this line that's really growing into something special.


 

   This is the first figure of Kol-Darr. For more Masters of the Universe Origins reviews check out the following:
Zodac

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