Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Action Figure Review: Cosmic Terror Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 


   It's Skeletor in boss form! Masters of the Universe: Revelation gave us Skelegod and the Netflix CG animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has given us Cosmic Terror Skeletor. This is a pretty amazing take on Skeletor, who has a pretty fantastic journey during the show. Yeah, there are some really silly parts of the CG series, but there's also some fantastic storytelling and some very respectable character arcs. Even though it seems like the show is probably over, Mattel seems to still be trickling out releases and while I haven't picked up all of them (yet) I definitely made sure to grab this version of Skeletor depicting him after his ghost form has gained the power of King Grayskull. He's big, he's bad, and he's pretty reasonably price. Let's take a look at Cosmic Terror Skeletor after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 8 5/8ths inches 

Articulation: Swivel ankles, swivel/hinge hips, swivel tail, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders (attached to an action feature), swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, swivel/hinge wings, moving back levers (x2), baljointed head, and a hinged jaw. 

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $33 dollars


The Positives:


* Cosmic Skeletor is big. Yeah, you can look at his measurements above, but check him out against a 5 1/2 inch He-Man figure. He's not only taller but larger as well! He makes a very menacing villain for He-Man and the other Masters of the Universe to go up against. 



* Skeletor does have a lot of elements of the Skelegod design from Master of the Universe: Revelation in the head, but his body is different. He's far more beast-like, almost like a dragon merged with a Balrog. He's got the green elements in his paintjob, representing the Havoc energy, but he's more black and yellow with a touch of gold. Not traditional Skeletor colors (unless you're talking about Disco Skeletor), so it definitely separates him from all of the other Skeletor figures on your shelf. The sculpt isn't bad at all; it's stylized like the rest of the figures in the line but still covered with lots of ridges and spikes and such. 


* The headsculpt is really cool here, especially the massive horns. It's clearly inspired by Skeletor's Havoc Staff, which is the totem for the Havoc magic in this show. The skull is gold with some really nice red eyes glowing from within the skull. The top of his skull also looks a bit like the top of this show's Castle Grayskull since Skeletor has taken control of the Power of Grayskull here. 



* You can also pop open his jaw. It's hinged, so he can chatter away. Honestly, the Skeletor in the Netflix CG animated series is definitely one of the most fearsome Skeletors out there. I mean, yeah, he definitely has some silly moments, but he gets stuff done, too. This guy is pretty freaky, though, so he's ready for some serious stuff, and a hinged jaw helps with that. 



* This definitely isn't a super articulated figure, but there's far more articulation here than you would think. Lots of swivel/hinge joints in places like the shoulders, hips, wings, and elbows, plus the balljointed head make this version of Skeletor a lot of fun to play around with. This line is clearly designed with kids in mind (though Mattel knows we're buying these, too, probably as much or more than the kiddos), so he's a simple, yet durable toy. 


* The cartoon has some really cool effects and while it would be pretty difficult to capture the look of Cosmic Terror Skeletor's wings in plastic, Mattel didn't do a bad job. They've got a blending of purple and black plastic along with some glitter thrown in there to give them a very cool, cosmic, ethereal, spacey, celestial, Van Gogh inspired...

Yeah, lots of glitter here, folks. 



* Cosmic Terror Skeletor does have a cool action feature: Pull down the levers on his back and his left and right arms raise up and can come down. It's kind of neat and it really doesn't interfere with the articulation of the shoulders much, either. 




* The levers that activate the left and right arms look like the Havoc Staff and Sword of Power from the show, which is pretty fitting since this version of Skeletor has both sources of power running through him. It's a pretty cool little design detail, especially considering the designer could have just used basic levers.






The Negatives:




* Like many of the figures in this line, the back of Cosmic Terror Skeletor is just plain black. No paint details or anything. This is definitely a cost saving measure and I'm still not a fan of it. 

   This is a very large, very wicked version of Skeletor that's going to standout from the other Skeletor figures in your collection. He's not high detailed or anything but he has a really fun design and definitely offers up something fun and new. I really like him and feel like he's a Great figure, especially considering his low price for a fairly large toy. The swinging arms action feature is pretty fun, too, and doesn't interfere with the articulation much at all. That's a winner in my book. Looking for a Skeletor different from all the rest? Give Cosmic Terror Skeletor a try. He's quite menacing!



   I've reviewed so many toys of Skeletor/ Keldor that he has his own review archive. Check out Snake Mountain for all of my Skeletor reviews!

For more reviews from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe check out the following:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel (2021)
5.5 inch 

9 comments:

  1. Agree - don't see him as skeletor but can definitely fit in with Mythic Legions and a variety of other properties.

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  2. This Skeletor is from the old He-Man TV Cartoon, or from the Netflix version? I know Skelegod i from the Netflix one but this one is a total mess for me. Still, a cool Skeletor design, but look like a Doom boss more than our Ol' Uncle Skelly, ha, ha!

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    Replies
    1. Skeletor loses his physical form in the Netflix CG animated series at one point, and this is his Havoc filled spirit merged with King Grayskull's Power. The Havoc Staff is the totem for Havoc (evil, destructive) magic in this show, so it becomes Skeletor's form here.

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    2. Wow, so Skeletor marked an M.Bison now? In SF V, M.Bison's body dissolves (again) and now he is a pure Psycho Power fueled ghost. So as Bison went Shin Bison and later Psycho Ghost Bison, Skeletor went Skelegod and now Skeleghost? Well, still, if you have a Doom Slayer, you can put Cosmic Horror Skeletor "At Doom's Gate" and let Doomguy "Rip and Tear" him. (ba dum tss).

      Also, i thought Skelegod was quite badass except for the fire effect for the hands that looked like a candy ball, but Cosmic Horror Skeletor got the coolest design ever. And with a moving jaw, he can give nice speeches about paying taxes or he can eat the chicken bucket he got in Grayskull Fried Chicken, ha, ha!

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    3. He definitely looks like a Doom villain. Like I said, he's totally "Boss Fight Skeletor."

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  3. He is 8 5/8ths inches. He definitely doesn't look like Skeletor, but the Havoc Staff styled head nicely ties him in with Skeletor. Again, he's like final boss Skeletor from a videogame.

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  4. Any plans to do King Hiss from this line?

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    Replies
    1. I have the King Hiss from this line on preorder and I'm just waiting for him to come in stock and ship. Hopefully soon!

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  5. He's versatile for sure. And, yes, he'd go great with any version of Evil-Lyn.

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