Action Figure Review: Mekaneck from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   Today I'm checking out another figure from Mattel's "Core" Masters of the Universe movie line: Mekaneck, the Heroic Human Periscope. Like with my review of the Skel-Knight last week, I'm planning on talking about this figure, sure, but I'm also planning to talk about the move a bit. If you haven't seen Masters of the Universe yet, I'd definitely encourage you to go. I really enjoyed the movie and had an amazing time watching it. I plan to see it again sometime this week. I mean, it's not perfect, but I don't think there is any way to make a MOTU film that every fan would 100% be behind that would also appeal to a mass audience. I'm not going to get into too many spoilers and I'm not touching anything from the end-credits and stinger yet, but I will talk a bit about some of the stuff in the film like the combat, the naming of the characters, and Mekaneck himself. This figure of Mekaneck is part of the kid-focused toyline and you can find him on store shelves or from e-tailers for around $10-$12 dollars. That's pretty affordable for a decently articulated action figure these days. Ready to take a peak at what's going with Mekaneck? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge knees, balljointed hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: 2 neck extensions and a pistol.

Non-Scalper price: $10-$12 dollars

The Positives:

* Mekaneck absolutely is recognizable in the film and that's already a huge checkmark in my book. While there are some redesigns and such in the film, you could absolutely take nearly every character and identify them at a glance due to how they retain key visual elements and color schemes from their classic counterparts. Mekaneck looks great in blue, red, and silver, and his design definitely captures the more sci-fi feel of the character. Mekaneck is clearly augmented by technology and you can see his cybernetically enhanced chest and neck through the slits in his armor. The armor is a separate piece, though it's not removable, and it does borrow from the shape of the vintage and 200x era armors, just a bit sleeker. The extra knee and elbow pads also feel like an addition from the 200x era. He's a great looking figure with bold primary colors which is quite appealing. 

* For as long as I can remember I have loved doodling Mekaneck due to his helmet. I don't know why but it's absolutely one of my favorite MOTU designs. This one is sleeker than the classic helmet, but it still looks quite good, even with the simpler design of the Core line. I love the green lenses. I'm much more of a fan of the green lenses than silver and I'm glad that color was chosen. 

* Instead of an action feature, Mekaneck comes with additional neck pieces that can be attached to the balljoint on his neck. Two pieces are included and they swap in and out easily, allowing you to recreate his mechanical neck. In the film, it's revealed that the names for most of the heroic warriors like Mekaneck, Fisto, and Ram Man are what 10 year old Adam named them during his time on earth. He didn't remember their real names so he came up with names for them when drawing them. It wasn't a bad idea, but it would have been better if their legit names were revealed, too. In the film we don't get names for the characters beyond the toy based names that Adam gave them as best as I can recall. I mean, he surely has a name, right? Of course he does; it's Orius! 

* Here's a shot of Mekaneck from the back so you can check out all of the detail on his armor. Again, I love the mechanical parts that are visible through the slits in his red armor. His belt is also a separate piece. While not removable, it does shift around a bit and you can slide his pistol inside there for storage. 

* These are much simpler than Masters of the Universe Chronicles figures. They're actually more on par with Masters of the Universe Origins except these figures don't have boot swivels or ankle joints. They're sturdy, though, and meant to be played with and tossed around. Throw in the extra neck joints and you've got even a bit more movement. I'm personally impressed that these guys have swivel/hinge ankles. With a little adjusting you can get a nice firing pose with Mekaneck's pistol. 

* Speaking of which, here's a close-up of Mekaneck's pistol. It's a neat looking sci-fi/ fantasy blaster and the sculpt is quite sharp. Multiple characters seem to have similar weapons, so I'm assuming this is more of a standard issue weapon for the Eternians united against Skeletor. 

The Negatives:

* My Mekaneck isn't perfect, though the issues are minor QC issues. First up; he's got a scuff on his nose. You can see the red plastic beneath the flesh toned paint. Battle damage!

* The other QC issue is a small gouge in the boot. You can see into the blue plastic beneath the brown painted boot. Someone was rough on this guy when packaging him!

   My Mekaneck does have a few little paint issues that are simple QC blunders but he's not bad, especially for such an inexpensive figure. He's actually quite fun and I really like his blaster pistol and his neck extensions. The movie design really is quite faithful to the vintage toy, just offering up a sleek look that feels more modern. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and while he's nowhere as a cool as a MOTU Chronicles Mekaneck could be (which I hope we get), he's still a pretty decent figure. Think we'll get Dian in any of the movie lines? She was in the vintage newspaper comic strip so her appearance in the film was one heck of a deep cut! 

  

  If you're a Mekaneck fan check out my reviews of the Masterverse: New Eternia Mekaneck, the 200x Mekaneck, the MOTU Origins Mekaneck and Ground Ripper, the M.U.S.C.L.E. Mekaneck from series 3, Pack D, the NECA micro-bust of Mekaneck, the Mega Construx Mekaneck from the Battle Ram, and the ReAction Mekaneck.

For more Masters of the Universe 2026 "Core" figures check out the following:
Skel-Knight