It's been a few months since I last reviewed a Masterverse figure, hasn't it? The last one I looked at was
Leech back in July. Recently I found most of the newest series or two of figures and they've been pretty good. I haven't picked up all of them but I did grab the 1987 movie Beast Man, the New Eternia Evil-Lyn, and the Revolution Snake Sorceress Teela and Hordak. I've looked at so many variants of those characters, though, that I didn't get around to reviewing them. The New Eternia Fisto seemed to warrant a review, however. I'm a fan of the guy and he usually ends up being a strong figure no matter what line he's in. Mattel isn't at all flooding the market with releases from this line but they do seem to consistently get new figures out and it's fun to see what they do with the characters. I've been getting a bit bored with MOTU Origins as of late but Masterverse is still a quality lined that feels designed to both to impress with their coolness and their pure toyeticness. These guys just have some neat "gimmicks" that make messing around with them fun. Ready to check out Fisto? Then join me after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 7 3/8ths 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 left elbow, single hinged right elbow, swivel/hinge left wrist, swivel right forearm, swivel right wrist, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: 2 portraits, 3 interchangeable metal hands/ hammer heads, 2 swappable left hands, wrist cuff, chest armor, hammer, and sword.
Non-Scalper Price: $22-$23 dollars
The Positives:
* It's Fisto, baby! Back in 2021 Mattel released a
Masterverse Fisto based on his appearance in MOTU: Revelation but mine had some quality control issues. The headsculpt was incredible, though. While this guy still largely uses the same body type we've been seeing for a few years now his chest armor is larger, more ornate, and is more reminiscent of the 200x Fisto (or Battle Fist as he was called in the toyline during that era). I love the combination of silver and purple. The armor is removable, but he's not wearing anything under it. It looks like it could definitely provide some serious protection!
* Fisto comes with two portraits, the first of which is this New Eternia portrait. It has the armored circlet like the 200x Fisto but with a longer bear and longer hair, pulled back. It's a different look and I'm not sure if the longer beard with a touch of grey and the long hair comes from any prior source is a new element to this figure.
* Here's a look at Malcom's shoulder pads (with some furry padding peeking out) and his pulled back ponytail. The circlet isn't removable but it is a separate piece permanently attached to the figure.
* The New Eternia figures have little bios of a sort on the back of their packaging and Fisto's mentions that Skeletor is responsible for loss of his hand and that this new contraption is known as the "Iron Fist." It looks to have replaced his entire arm and is covered with rivets, ports, and little details that look like wiring. The fist is pretty large and nothing to sneeze at, either.
* Most of the Masterverse figures share a fairly standard base body, so they have the same articulation. The only real difference here is that Fisto's metal arm is articulated a bit differently. Despite the line and model being nearly five years old now, the pinless double jointed knees and elbows still make it feel quite modern and everything has a good range of motion to it. This line really hits a sweet spot between articulation, aesthetic, and play durability. I think kids would really get a lot out of these if they were the ones buying them.
* Like many of the New Eternia figures, Fisto comes with an alternate portrait that's more vintage inspired. I still think I prefer the more Filmation inspired MOTU: Revelation portrait but this one is pretty cool, too, and seems more accurate to the vintage toy. Take a good look at Fisto's face and try to imagine him without his beard. Who does he look like? Patrick Swayze! Crazy, right?
* Fisto's real name is Malcom, so I'm presuming he took the name Fisto after he replaced his missing hand/ arm with a giant metal fist (though the MYP/ 200x cartoon kind of implied he really had a giant right hand, right?). His regular left hand (if he only had hands like this would he go by Hando?) can be swapped for a punching fist or a gripping hand to hold one of his two included weapons.
* Mattel's MOTU team has really been putting some cool features into the New Eternia line, creating some toys that are incredibly fun and that feel like they really would increase play value, even though my guess is most of us buying these are in our mid 30s to late 50s. Fisto now comes with a battle hammer, a new accessory for him. The ends are a cylinder that tapers into a point (it looks like a lass breaking emergency hammer) and a rounded mace tip with protrusions, like you'd see on
Man-At-Arms' mace.
* The heads of the battle hammer can be removed, along with Fisto's fist, giving you three separate, interchangeable parts.
* Why is it worth noting that Fisto's fist and the heads on the battle hammer are removable? Because you can swap them around. Want Fisto to have something other than a giant metal fist where his fist should be? Use one of the other two options. It's also pretty rad that he can run around with a giant metal fist on his battle hammer. That's a pretty metal thing to do.
* Rather than having a large broadsword (or a ridiculously oversized with a fist on the pommel), Fisto has a weapon that seems a bit more like a saber. It's not quite the same as
Jitsu's, but it's still similar enough that there's a connection. I think it's pretty neat, though smaller than we're used to for Fisto.
* There's a slit in the back of Fisto's armor so he can store his sword and slide it out when he needs another weapon. This guy is loaded with stuff to cut, bash, break, and
fist punch his enemies!
The Masterverse figures definitely have the articulation and style of "collectors figures" but they still have the DNA of toys running through them and they feel like they have a lot of neat little play features that might not be traditional action features, but that are reminiscent of them. Mattel has managed to keep the prices on these guys lower than most other toylines of a similar scale and keep branching out with a mixture of designs. Fisto is one of my favorites and he's really a fun figure. Whether you like his New Eternia look, his more classic look, or you swap parts around between this figure and the MOTU: Revelation version to create your own ideal Fisto, this guy adds an Epic player to your Mastervese shelf.
For more Masterverse reviews check out the following:
Yeah he's pretty great. Curiously he's a lil taller than the Revelation one (not just cos using the newer torso but the lower legs are a smidge taller too, check the distance between the knee and the boot). I didn't know about the swappable fist/hammer parts until some days later because it was NOT easy on mine. Had to use hairdryer heat to loosen them. Also the hammer attachments onto his arm make him look even more sus than usual. :P Also I really don't like how limited the elbow joint is on the metal arm. And I miss the ACTUAL metal they used on Revelation Fisto's fist. But yeah overall he's good. And another solid New Eternia that provides some extra options. Shame that his wave-mate Evil-Lyn is EXTREMELY lacking in much at all.
ReplyDeleteHe is taller! I noticed that when measuring him but had a hard time figuring out just where the height was coming from.
DeleteI've noticed that if you rotate the bicep you can get better upper elbow movement and, since it's metal, it doesn't look off.
Evil-Lyn is a gorgeous figure but you're right, she really is lacking in anything that changes up her look or adds a lot of new detail. Not sure why she came out so light compared to everyone else that has been released. An unhelmeted head and one or two extra details would have been incredible.
Yeah, an extra head would have been great, And some New Eternia costume options. But also what bugs me the most is for some reason she has single joint elbows, meaning I can't do some of my fave Lyn poses I've done with the Revelation figures of her. I'd love to know Mattel's reasoning for that. Not even bicep swivels that some other figures with single joint elbows have. And they'll probably use these same arms for NE Teela too. I don't get it.
DeleteJust tried her arms again and yeah can't even get a 90 degree angle bend on them, meanwhile Revelation Lyns can all bend their elbows enough to touch their own faces. I thought these were Masterverse figures, not some dated Super7 style crud (and speaking of which I bought their recent DX Lion-O and it's garbage. The new cartoon-accurate sculpt looks great but the skin-tone is kinda sickly and the figure broke in the packaging. It's dated single jointed knee snapping as I was removing him from the tray and then moments later as I tried to assess the damage I held him by his left arm which snapped off at the bicep).
DeleteActually I believe that Masterverse reached a high point when they released that big wave with Ram Man, blue Faker, Grizzlor, Whiplash, Clawful, etc.. Not sure if the Masterverse designers' team at Mattel has changed, but I noticed a slight drop in quality in the last few Masterverse figs I bought (King Keldor, Sy-Klone, Snake Sorceress Teela..). Some cheaper looking plastic parts, some QC issues, a smaller number of extra parts/weapons.. It'd be interesting to know if other people have noticed it too, or feel the same about the line. For instance, I was really chuffed about King Keldor back when it came out, but now that I own one, I can't shake off the feeling that it's a little bland..
ReplyDeleteEh? I don't know about that. I think the Masterverse wave of Battle Armor Skeletor, Snake Sorceress Teela, Man-Of-War and New Eternia Mer-Man is the best wave so far. Easily my fave wave.
DeleteAnd certainly Battle Armor Skeletor has a lot of parts and bulk to it. They didn't need to make the head and helmet separate. But they did. They didn't need to make the jaw articulated. But they did. They didn't need to make the battle armor removable or have optional shoulder pauldrons etc. I think he's one of the best figures of the year, never mind of just Masterverse.
The wave you mentioned wasn't one of my faves at all. Ram-Man, Clawful and Whiplash were unusual in that they were the largest amount of Deluxes released all at once and they're pretty good (though I was glad I got Ram-Man for only £5 even back when released). Blue Faker though is by far my least fave Masterverse figure in the 80+ I own. He's boring, he's ugly, he's lazy. He's not got any New Eternia optional costume pieces. The colours are quite nice and I like that they sculped in stuff on his chest rather than use a sticker this time. But overall I really dislike the figure generally. I don't hate him (cos he's still a pretty solid figure in general) but they could have done so much more. Grizzlor is decent but the fact his fur piece doesn't quite fit has always bugged me. The others in the wave, Revelation (armored) Mer-Man and New Eternia Buzz Off are good. And technically Slush Head can be considered part of that wave too (and another deluxe) but he was a target exclusive. We've not had another New Adventures figure since him. Not a huge fan of NA myself but I've liked the figures we've had so far and I hope if they do just one more, it'll be Skeletor in his second outfit, the one he wore throughout most of the cartoon and it's one that Classics never did.
Just one little detail to get my point across regarding recent Masterverse figs : if you have New Eternia Trap Jaw (great figure though, I just love the design and colors..), have you noticed how lightweight the head actually is ? It's like Mattel have started cutting down costs on Masterverse. It isn't *really* blatant, but it does show in small details like that (like the complete lack of accessories for King Keldor. Okay, he comes with two portraits, but they really could have given him a wand or something..)
ReplyDeleteWas happy enough with the Revelation version but caved & got this one- hair color is wrong, but too cool to pass on
ReplyDeleteI like the Revelation portrait much better. This hair color is more accurate to the vintage toy while the Revelation version of Fisto is more accurate to the Filmation series.
DeleteCarnivius, did you manage to get Masterverse Webstor at a decent price in the UK ? I really wanted that one, but as soon as it appeared on amazon France (that is, very late in the game) it reached extortionate prices - 149 Euros if I remember well. And I've never seen him anywhere else, over here. Speaking of that specific wave, Clamp Champ is the last truly "classic" looking Masterverse I bought, IMHO. After that, New Eternia Trap Jaw was good, but every other figure I bought was a bit disappointing, I feel. Now having said that, I still haven't got around to buying Mekaneck and Leech, though. Maybe these two will make me change my viewpoint..
ReplyDeleteKing Keldor definitely has a lack of accessories, though that seems to be the case with many of the Revelation/ Revolution figures. I've not been buying as many Masterverse figures lately, though I do like what I have purchased. I've loved most New Eternia figures and I'm in agreement that blue Faker is one of the best of them all.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some odd releases with fewer extras, though. Evil-Lyn is bizarre; A good figure with a great look, but the lack of extras and the more limited arms are a strange design decision. I'm wondering if they were attempting the really extreme range of motion Hasbro has been doing for single joints on some of their figures, but they botched it here?
Oh, blue Faker is among my favorite Masterverse figures, alongside Clamp Champ. That's a Top 5 figure, for me. I just love how they perfectly captured the spirit and vibe of the original figure. Another thing that bugs me about Masterverse is how they started releasing new versions of characters that they have already done (another New Eternia Mer-Man, and soon another New Eternia Beast Man, really ?).. it is turning into overkill and kind of pisses off people who already have the "old" version. Maybe they should release less figures and concentrate on new characters (for the line). Or maybe re-release Vykron, Snout Spout and other "Mattel Creations only" figures at retail for a wider audience ?
ReplyDeleteI definitely wonder why we're getting so many versions of the same characters in Masterverse. They do need to diversify a bit more. I know they want to always have He-Man and Skeletor out but they're overdoing it a bit.
ReplyDelete