Friday, May 26, 2023

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

 

   It's been over two years since I reviewed the original Masters of the Universe Origins Roboto figure based on the vintage toy but, since that one has become a bit scarce, Mattel has a new repaint out to recirculate the Heroic Mechanical Warrior. This time we've got a version of Roboto painted to look like some of his minicomic appearances where his coloring was different and his heart was more prominent. He's really just a repaint of the previous figure, sure, but he's pretty cool looking and he feels better mad than the previous Roboto. Let's take a look at Roboto after the break...




The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, calve swivels, swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge left wrist, swivel neck, and a spring hinged jaw.

Accessories: Laser hand, claw hand, axe hand, and minicomic.

Non-Scalper Price: $18-$20 dollars







Comparison:


* This new minicomic influenced Roboto is on the left while the classic Roboto from 2020 and 2021 is on the right. What's the difference? Just the paint, really, though the connection between the waist and torso is much sturdier this time around, which is a nice improvement. 





The Positives:

* Roboto is always just a bright, colorful, and rather friendly looking fellow, and his new color scheme still works for him. Instead of red, blue, and silver he's now sporting orange, yellow, and silver with a big heart painted on the front of his chest. On the original toy that was a piece inside the figure but it was left out of the original Origins sculpt. I've always liked MOTU's interjection of technology into a barbarian fantasy world and Roboto fills an interesting place in the Heroic Warriors roster as an android. His arms are quite detailed with lots of sculpted wires running all the way down his arms. He also has the more armored/ robot like legs that she shares with Trap Jaw and a few other characters at this point.




* Roboto's head is very "retro-futuristic" and looks like a robotic version of the helmet of a knight. The blue line seems to be his "eye" while the orange, duckbill like jaw covers a black mouth like space that is presumably a speaker or vocoder of sorts.



* Since Roboto is just  repaint, he has the same action feature as the first release, which is very similar to the vintage toy's action feature. Turn Roboto's waist and the gears in his chest rotate while his jaw moves up and down. It works quite nicely and it's quite fun to play around with. It's interesting how even in lines with few to no action features (MOTUC and Origns) Mattel still gave Roboto his vintage action feature.




* 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 and pretty durable, feeling more like a toy than a collectible.

* They're also modular.and can be easily separated to make your own lazy boy customs! Roboto has no removable head, though, due to his action feature.



*  Like the vintage figure (and the previous Origins figure) this Roboto has three interchangeable weapons hands, the first of which is a double barreled laser blaster. Pretty decent, right? It looks just like the vintage version (the plastic is a bit more silver than grey) and it easily fits into Roboto's right wrist.



* Next up is Roboto's axe hand. This think is really cool. I just love the idea of Roboto going into battle while swinging this wicked little thing. Anyone else ever wish that was a laser in the middle? I do!



* Last and kind of least is this claw hand. I imagine this is Roboto's standard hand (although the MOTUC version did have a regular robot hand, just like the left hand).




* Roboto comes with the minicomic from this series, "Assassin's Aim!" It's a story of Hypno and Roboto trying to stop the Snake Men from assassinating Skeletor, who currently thinks he's their new ally and leader. It's not a full sized minicomic (it's only six pages) but it's well drawn and pretty fun. Plus, the eyes on hypnotized Skeletor and Mer-Man look absolutely bonkers.
The Negatives:

*  Like the first Origins release of Roboto, this guy's torso is fairly empty. The vintage figure from 35+ years ago had two more gears than this one (a green and orange gear), printed wires and circuits inside, and a red heart inside, and not just painted on, which has usually been a significant part of the character. The Origins version only has three gears, no extra wires and such, and a painted on heart. What the heck? Were those toy secrets lost to time or something? 
  While I think I prefer the vintage color scheme, I actually like this guy a bit better than the first release. He just feels more solid and well built and he doesn't fall apart at the waist. Roboto is always fun and whether you use this guy as your Roboto or just another Eternian robot teaming up with the Heroic Warriors, he's a nice figure. He offers up a somewhat popular variant and gets Roboto back in circulation. Nothing wrong with that, right? He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and just a lot of fun to mess around with. He's the only repaint in this series, and he's a pretty decent one. 



If you're looking for more of Roboto I've also reviewed the MOTU Origins Roboto, the M.U.S.C.L.E. Roboto from Series 3 Pack B, the Mega Construx Roboto and the Roboto included with the Land Shark, the Super7 Filmation inspired Roboto, the POP! Roboto #81, the Vinyl Soda Roboto, and the 200x Roboto head from the MOTUC Heads of Eternia set.

For more Masters of the Universe Origins reviews check out the following:

6 comments:

  1. He does! Check out Battle Ram Blog or Google it. It's in there! I do think a Roboto with a silverish chest with the heart printed on could have been neat, though I'm not sure I'd give up the working gears inside for it.

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  2. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 18, 2023 at 2:46 PM

    Just ordered this guy (alongside Clamp Champ), Roboto is one of those MOTU characters that I find goofy, yet there is a certain primitive charm to it I just can't quite put my finger on.. Besides, this clear torso always reminds me of this super weird "Speclatron" MOTU KO line from the 1980's. I've never had any Speclatron toys though, but I did have some cool MOTU KO figures, as a kid (lots of Galaxy Warriors of course, and that super cool purple clad wizard with ram horns from Remco's Conan line..).

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    1. Those Speclatron figures are really cool. I wasn't familiar with them at all! For knock off MOTU stuff, all I had were a couple of the Imperial Dragons (which I still have) and some of the Hasbro Ninja Warriors, which I never really connected with MOTU.

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  3. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 18, 2023 at 4:25 PM

    Also just grabbed Slamurai, arriving on the 1st of August (bought it on amazon.fr, but the seller is in Italy..). And I really need Snake Claw Man at Arms ! (who said I was sick of repaints ? lol).. I can't wait to see your review of Snake Face btw, as I really want that one too..

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    1. I'll probably take pictures of him tonight and start working on him soon. I was out of town for a few days for a wedding, so I'm running behind. haha.

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  4. MekaneckfrenchiefrogJuly 27, 2023 at 9:24 AM

    Oh, I've just found it (Snake Face) today in a Paris shop, which is great, as it is already out of stock on amazon.fr.. So I will actually have my own copy in hand when I read your review of it ! 🙂

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