Thursday, March 2, 2023

Action Figure Review: Pig-Head from Masterverse/ Sun-Man: Rulers of the Sun by Mattel

 



   Who's up for some more Masterverse reviews? Today I'm looking at Pig-Head, another figure from the newest series of Masterverse figures and the first figure from the Masterverse "Sun-Man: Rulers of the Sun" subset that I've reviewed. Yeah, I don't actually have the Masterverse Sun-Man yet. I've had a preorder through Target since July but he's apparently not shipped yet. I didn't expect Pig-Head to beat Sun-Man out. I reviewed the Masters of the Universe Origins Pig-Head back in August and while I have the Target exclusive 3-pack with the shiny Pig-Head, I never got around to reviewing it. This guy definitely warrants a review, though, as he's incredibly cool. I'd really like to hear from someone who was a Sun-Man fan as a kid. I know many MOTU fans know the cool story behind Olmec Toys and the line and quite a few remember the figures, but I'd love to hear from someone who has been waiting for Sun-Man and the Rulers of the to get revisited. If that's you leave me a comment. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the Sun-Man revival. For now, let's check out Pig-Head after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 7 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, calf swivels, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, swivel waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 4 interchangeable hands, harness, 2 shoulder pads, flail, serpent, and shield.

Non-Scalper Price: $23- $25 dollars







The Positives:


* Pig-Head looks pretty incredible. Seriously, he's an impressive figure and Mattel put a lot of effort into giving him unique armor, a unique torso and loincloth, and those wicked looking spiked wrist guards. He reminds me of someone who could have been a Filmation villain or the boss of a late 1980s or early 90s video game. Those colors! I love them! Couldn't you see this guy showing up in Ghosts 'n Goblins or as being a take on a Moblin from The Legend of Zelda? His shoulder pads and that spiked leather harness are extra pieces, and removable, so he has a more complex look to him. 

* The headsculpt is fantastic with some really cool detail on his samurai-like helmet. The pink blades on top just look really cool. According to the bio on the back of the package, which is pretty close to a booklet that came with the original toy, Pig-Man is really Prince Zegor of House Shadus, a wicked and cruel man transformed into a half man, half pig creature. Maybe this is the guy Kramer saw in the hospital in the Seinfeld episode "The Bris" who had him all freaked out?


* The shoulder pads look really nice and stay on his upper biceps quite securely. They are removable if you want a sleeker figure, but why take them off when they make him look so intimidating? There's a lot of nice detail in the armor, both decorative flourishes and dents and dings from battle. 




* The detail on his trunks is excellent. Not only are they well sculpted but there's even a drybrush effect to give a nice textured appearance to them. Fantastic work here.


* Pig-Man moves like a Masterverse figure, so if you've played with any of these you know what to expect. He's sturdy, durable, and has a nice range of motion. He's not going to be getting any Spider-Man like poses or anything, but then again, he's not Peter Porker. He's a bulky, muscular, Pig-Man. 







* Pig-Head comes with two pairs of hands: An open palmed left hand, a pair of gripping hands, and a right handed fist. They swap easily and are actually sculpted to look like they have gloves on them, not just regular skin painted blue.










* Pig-Head's shield is also more intricate than the Origins figure. Like his armor, it's sculpted with the intricate pattern around the center and lots of dents and damages from blocking previous attacks. There's also the nice set of loops on the back which allow the figure to hold the shield way better than the classic wrist clip. 

* I'm not sure if this is a Mattel invention or if their is some basis for it in Sun-Man lore I'm not aware of but the included serpent is really cool. It's a little bit jiggly, kind of like fishing tackle, and it's molded in blue rubber with little glitter speckles inside. It reminds me of one of the ghosts from Kenner's The Real Ghostbusters line. It can loop around Pig-Head's arms and torso, giving him at least one evil companion.

* The vintage Pig-Head came with a blue flail and that's what we've got here. It's molded in clear blue plastic similar in color to the serpent (the spiked ball is a separate piece from the chain and handle). It also has a bit of a jiggly feel to it. 

The Negatives:

* The chain is both jiggly and not jiggly feeling and it kind of freaks me out. As someone posing my figure on the shelf and not really full on playing with him, I don't think breakage is a concern, but there's something very fragile and even brittle feeling about the chain. Just be careful. 




   Pig-Head is really, really nicely done. The sculpt, the colors, and the details on his armor just pop and I think it's very fair to say that Mattel did the character justice. He's far more than just a new head on a reused body with a bit of different armor. There is some rather intricate sculpting and paintwork here, far more than I expected to find. The serpent companion is quite neat, too, adding a nice little something extra or new to the character. I'm not sure who out there has been waiting since the 1980s for an updated Pig-Head action figure but here he is and he's worthy of a Great and a 1/2 rating. 


   If you're looking for more of Pig-Head I've also reviewed the Masters of the Universe Origins Pig-Head.


   For more Masterverse figures check out the following:









13 comments:

  1. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 2, 2023 at 3:10 PM

    I must say I'm a little bit worried, because Sorceress and Man-e-faces have started showing up in certain European eBay shops (smalltinytoy, and another german seller also has Man-e-faces..), but no Pig-Head anywhere - and he is the one figure in wave 8 I want the most. Isn't there, like, a scarcer figure in each wave (like He-Ro is much harder to find than the other guys in wave 6..) ?

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    1. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 3, 2023 at 5:20 AM

      Well, He-Ro has become impossible to find in Europe (and I saw very few copies of it, back when it was briefly available..), but yes, maybe Jitsu was the scarcest/toughest one to find, not He-Ro.. anyway, you get the idea. I'm under the impression that there is always (at least) one figure which is harder to find than the others, in each Masterverse wave. And I suspect that Pig-Head will be the scarce one in wave 8.. :-(

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    2. These haven't even shown up in US shops as far as I'm aware except for smaller stores that have Mattel accounts. The shop I picked mine up from had everyone but Shadow Weaver, who may be shipping separately.

      Wave 6 was odd because most of those figures were sort of exclusives, right? I thought they were a mix of retailer and specialty market exclusives. I still don't have Sun-Man myself. It's interesting how all of us in different locations had issues finding different figures. Jitsu was an Amazon preorder for me who shipped last fall while BA He-Man and He-Ro came from BBTS. My Target Sun-Man preorder is still just waiting to be fulfilled.

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    3. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 3, 2023 at 10:29 AM

      Yep, that's funny, because the Masterverse Sun-Man is quite easy to find here, actually (I mean, even in France..).

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    4. It definitely is, especially the Sun-Man/ BA He-Man/ Jitsu/ He-Ro series and this current one. I have a preorder from target still (I made it when the figure was on sale, so he's a really good price and I can afford to be patient).

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  2. Wow, somehow you make the figures in your reviews get charisma! Really, i appreciate yoir reviews a lot, even when i can't (still) afford the figures. And yes, i won't stop saying it everytime unless you tell me to stop.

    You never considered doing a YouTube channel like Fwoosh or MCUCollector24? Because you would get thousands of subscribers for sure. Maybe you don't hace time ad you attend your flesh-n-bone family too, and i understand it. After all, getting married with an Evil-Lyn figure and having Cobra Commander and Teela as children would be quite rare, ha ha!

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    1. Thanks! Compliments are always welcome.

      So I do have a Youtube channel but I don't do much with it. Usually I only use it for larger stuff that's harder for a standard review. My daughter helps with many of those reviews and she keeps pushing for me to do more. We recently received a case of some Jurassic Park eggs that open up to reveal slime and minifigures, so we'll probably do a video of those. I'm kind of an old school guy. I like written reviews and pictures. I like that my stuff can be easily archived and used as a resource so that collectors and folks interested can easily find what they're looking, whether it's information on the figure or just seeing what accessories came with a toy.

      if I someday am the lone last blogger out there, so be it.

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  3. He does. I don't need all of the Sun-Man characters in Masterverse (though I'd pick up whatever Mattel does release) but I do want them to complete that line in Origins. that would be a real treat.

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  4. Nice! Have you been changing Frosta's colors in the freezer?

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  5. I was never a huge toy car fan as a kid but I did love those color changing Hot Wheels, especially when you used the playsets that allowed you to dip the cars or the various car wash sets. Those were always really fun to play around with.

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  6. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 23, 2023 at 1:56 PM

    Wow, actual pictures of Masterverse waves 9 and 10 are starting to emerge online, and man, our wallets will be hurting.. Webstor, Grizzlor and Ram Man have to be my favorite thus far, but that creepy Blue Faker is surprisingly cool (even though I already have the Revelations Faker), and even Clamp Champ and Clawful look fantastic ! Only Prince Adam isn't to my liking (although it's a near perfect rendition of the cartoon character), but really, it's the only one in both waves I would skip..

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    1. We've definitely got some fantastic stuff headed out way. Masterverse is really delivering and I'm pumped for more New Adventures releases.

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    2. I'm pretty sure Adam did laugh in Revelation, but that was probably because of the meme, too. I'll be honest: I love the meme, so the laughing headsculpt is a hit with me. I'm just glad to have Prince Adam from Revelation, too.

      It looks like people are already getting their hands on the deluxe Man At Arms, who I really want. The Most Dangerous Man on Eternia, indeed.

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