With Masters of the Universe: Revolution coming sometime next year, it's pretty impressive that Mattel is still supporting Masters of the Universe: Revelation with figures around two years after its release. Last year they released the
"modern" version of Mer-Man from the parts of the show that took place in the present and this year we've received a "classic" Mer-Man from the flashback segments. So, yes, this is really a rather classic take on Mer-Man (voiced by the late Kevin Conroy in the show) but in the style of MOTU: Revelation. He turned out pretty nicely, too. Ready to check out Mer-Man? Then dive in, after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 7 inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot 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: 6 interchangeable hands, sword, armor.
Non-Scalper Price: $23 dollars
The Positives:
* While this version of Mer-Man shares the same basic body as the "modern" version, the gloves and boots are completely different and, of course, you've got the massive armor, too. The colors look great on Mer-Man, both on his skin and on his armored bits and pieces. I love the look of his torso armor. It definitely looks like something made from the shell of some giant undersea creature or perhaps it was harvested from something hard that grows underwater?
* Mer-Man's look in Revelation is a blend of his vintage and cross sell art design and the result is a pretty solid portrait. There's a lot of character here, and this time around Mer-Man's mouth looks to be open a bit wider. He also has two eyes, which is only significant to point out because the "modern" take is missing an eye.
* Here's a look at the flipside of the figure to show off more of Mer-Man's armor. It's molded in a nice, rubbery material that keeps it's shape well but also allows for more shoulder movement. There's a two-tone color here, particularly around the little patches of what might be barnacles.
* Mer-Man's loincloth is the same as on the previous figure, but now it's made from a material that seems more translucent. It's painted, yeah, but it looks really cool. He's also sporting the classic "bowtie" design on his belt.
* The greaves are different this time around with interesting coral like growths coming out of the top and gold highlights on the ridges.
* Like most Masterverse figures, Mer-Man's articulation doesn't hold any surprises and is in line with most other figures in this series. It feels very modern with double jointed knees and elbows and most everything has a good range of motion to it. It's not as smooth as some modern offerings but it rivals most everything else out there in this scale and price point. It's also very durable and could definitely handle being played with by the younger crowd.
* Mer-Man comes with the same six interchangeable hands as the previous figure, but now given a pearly yellow-gold paintjob to match his long gloves. There's a pair of cupped swimming hands, a pair of fists, and a pair of standard grips for holding his sword.
* Since is the "classic" Mer-Man from before the time jump in MOTU: Revelation, he's sporting his classic sword. This looks pretty wicked, though; much more menacing than the vintage sword that so many collectors affectionately refer to as the corncob sword. There's some nice rugged detail here, the sword is molded from a very solid plastic, and there's even a paint wash to bring out the detail.
While the previous Revelation based Mer-Man was a solid figure, this one is my preferred look as he just has more detail on his armor and various pieces of gear. That sword is also just too cool. I'm definitely hoping we see Mer-Man in the New Eternia subset at some point, but this figure really impresses me and takes the classic look while adding some new ideas to it. This is a Great and a 1/2 figure and a really good Mer-Man figure overall. You could probably mix the two releases around and come up with a cool ultimate Mer-Man, too.
Mattel showed off some really neat stuff at SDCC and it looks like the future of Masterverse is bright. It's an exciting line for sure, especially when we get new characters, cool new takes on classic figures (like the New Eternia stuff), and characters like some of the POP figures who we see less often.
I've reviewed so many figures of Mer-Man that he has his own review archive. Check out the
Sea of Rakash for a deluge of Mer-Man reviews!
For more Masterverse reviews check out the following:
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