Playset Review: Fright Pit from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   I realize that I didn't review the three previous Masters of the Universe Origins playsets I own (Snake Mountain, Eternia, and the Fright Zone) and I didn't preorder/ crowdfund the Snake Lair, but I definitely wanted to check out the Slime Pit. Excuse me, I mean the Fright Pit. Yes, the 1986 vintage toy was called the Slime Pit because it used Mattel's own Slime (which they created and introduced to the toy market in 1976), but over the years Nickelodeon has somehow ended up with a trademark for a toy where a character is slimed. Therefore, calling a toy involving sliming a character the Slime Pit would apparently infringe on Nickelodeon's trademark, so Mattel has opted to call this the Fright Pit. You know what? That works for me. It connects it to the Fright Zone, where it belongs anyway, and it sounds pretty decent. Previously it was called the Horde Pit, but I think I like Fright Pit a bit better. Yeah, it's weird and utterly ridiculous, but that's the legal departments of major corporations for you. 

   The Fright Pit (if I slip and call it the Slime Pit, oops) is a very solid small playset and was a favorite of mine in the vintage line. I received it for Christmas when I was quite young, probably well after it was released, and I remember spilling the slime under our Christmas tree. Oops! For that reason, I'll let you know in advance that I didn't even open the included bag of slime. Instead, just pretend characters are being slimed or watch a YouTube video showing off the action feature. Ready to (pretend) to get slimed? Wait, since there's no slime, how about we just frighten the figures, huh? Ready to frighten some figures? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Ram Man and Fisto from Masters of the Universe Chronicles by Mattel

 

   Now that Masters of the Universe (2026) is on Amazon Prime, I've had the chance to watch it again. The second viewing has been incredibly enjoyable and I really do like the movie quite a bit. It's so much fun and the costume designs are incredible. Take Ram Man and Fisto here, who were released as a two pack exclusive to Amazon; Don't these guys look almost exactly like their toy and cartoon counterparts? There's no way anyone familiar with MOTU could look at these guys and not know exactly who they are, which I appreciate. I love MOTU because the characters are wild and over the top. One of my few criticism of the movie is that the jokes over Fisto's name got overplayed a bit and it would have been funnier to me if the joke was that no one on Earth believed that these guys' names were Ram Man and Fisto but, once Adam arrives back on Eternia, they proudly go by these wild names. Still, the character designs were great and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Jon Xue Zhang were both excellent in the roles and brought a lot of power and physicality to the characters. At SDCC 2026 last weekend we learned that Mattel has plans for Masters of the Universe Chronicles and will be mixing up the line with new takes on classic characters and more movie based figures, so we'll hopefully be able to nicely fill out the movie roster in the next year or so. For now, let's check out this powerful duo after the break...

Action Figure Review: Arboryous from Legends of Dragonore by Formo Toys

 

   If you're a regular around here then you know that Moss Man is my favorite Masters of the Universe character. I'm nuts about the guy and I'm always down for a new Moss Man figure. I'm even down for guys who kind of remind me of Moss Man, and that's why I'm reviewing Arboryous from Formo Toys' Legends of Dragonore line today. This guy is an incredible looking figure that is very inspired by the Green Man mythology in a similar vein to Masters of the Universe's Moss Man. If you're not familiar with Legends of Dragonore, it's a 5.5" fantasy toyline based on the classic fantasy lines of the 1980s in that same scale. You know, things like  Remco's The Lost World of the Warlord, Arco's The Other World, Soma's Fantasy World, Olmec Toys' Sun-Man, and Galoob's Blackstar. Oh, and Mattel's Masters of the Universe. We can't forget those, can we? Anyways, Arboryous is part of the second series of releases and I just had to get him as I'm nuts about that design. Let's check out Arboryous, the Vernal Sage Healer of Botanika, after the break...

Action Figure Review: David "Crazylegs" Thomas (Retro) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

      I intended to review quite a few G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures in July in celebration of the semiquincentennial of the United States of America but I've been a bit buys and this is the first figure I've had the chance to look at: David "Crazylegs" Thomas from the retro carded releases. While we already received Crazylegs in the Classified Series back in 2024, that version was based on the Night Force release of the figure, a Toys 'R Us exclusive from 1988. This version is based on the classic 1987 figure, who was one of my favorites as a kid. I loved Crazylegs. Maybe it was the funny name, maybe it was the fantastic rifle, maybe it was because his parachute pack was so different than most others in the line, or maybe it was because of his great color scheme that stood out. The 1986 and 1987 years were when I first got into G.I. Joe and he was definitely one of my earliest figures. I've been looking forward to this release, though I will say that there are a couple odd issues with this figure that do bring him down a bit. He's still solid, don't get me wrong, but only having a screaming headsculpt is certainly a choice. Ready to check out Crazylegs? Then grab your parachute and join me after the break.....

Action Figure Review: Wolfsbane from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Workshop

 

   I'm finally ready to check out the last of the four action figures I picked up from Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Workshop's The Order of the Crimson Moon line: Wolfsbane! Who is Wolfsbane? He's a mercenary who supplies weapons and provides knowledge on arcane magic to the Order of the Crimson Moon. He's a cool arms dealer sporting black leather with red highlights, metal hands, and wrist mounted weaponry. Oh, and he comes with an alternate robotic head. Hey, wait a minute... this guy sounds just like.... Red Jackal from Action Force! That's it, Red Jackal. Red Jackal does kind of look familiar too, though, right? OK, yes, Red Jackal was a repaint of the G.I. Joe Destro figure. At some point during the run of Palitoy's Action Force run, Hasbro began taking more control of Palitoy and released many of the G.I. Joe A Real American hero figures with different names and different paintjobs. Destro was renamed Red Jackal, the driver of the Hyena, and was given a slightly different paintjob with the Red Skulls skull and crossbones on his chest. This is a cool figure who can supplement your Order of the Crimson Moon team, help out the bad guys in Operation: Monster Force, aid the Garrison in Valaverse's Action Force, or help out Cobra or the Iron Grenadiers. He's versatile and cool as heck. Want to check him out? Then let's take a look at Wolfsbane after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Saboteur from Soldiers of Fortune by Big Bad Workshop

   I ordered three of Big Bad Workshop's Soldiers of Fortune figures when the preorders went up and while I reviewed the first two back in May (The Agent/ The Spy- Black Tuxedo and The Agent/ The Enemy- Light Blue), it's taken me a couple months to get to the third: The Saboteur! The cool thing about Soldiers of Fortune is that the figures are generic enough to fill various gaps in your 1/12th collection. I'm thrilled with how many great 1/12th scaled military themed lines we've been getting over the past 5 or 6 years and even with how much great stuff we've received, the Saboteur still feels quite unique; he's just your average guerilla or terrorist. Need some generic bad guys for any 1/12th collection? How about some of your heroes on an undercover, black bag type of operation? The Saboteur fills that niche and scratches that itch. Let's take a look at this basic bad guy after the break...

Action Figure Review: Great Black Wizard from Masters of the Universe Origins: The Powers of Grayskull by Mattel

 

   Since I reviewed Gray last week, it seems fitting to review his main adversary this week: The Great Black Wizard! Like Gray (and He-Ro, Sharella, Red Shadow, King Grayskull, and Veena), the Great Black Wizard is a character from Preternia, Eternia's ancient past. Now part of The Powers of Grayskull subset, the Great Black Wizard was created by Axel Gimenez during the Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics era (2008-2016) as a villain for Preternia and he appeared in a few of the MOTUC minicomics. He was offered earlier this year on Mattel Creations as part of the Masters of the Universe Origins: The Powers of Grayskull subset and is a Club Grayskull exclusive, meaning you do need the $10 dollar yearly subscription to purchase him. The Powers of Grayskull/ Preternian era has been one of my favorites since the MOTUC days and I'm really excited that Mattel has released so many figures for it over the past two years. It's quite exciting to finally have this guy as a figure as he was teased during the MOTUC days. The Great Black Wizard is a technomancer who gave some of the Snake Men their powers and created Draego Man, so he's clearly a pretty powerful character. Ready to see how he turned out as a figure? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Order of the Crimson Moon from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Workshop

 

   Let's check out the third of the four The Order of the Crimson Moon figures I ordered from Big Bad Toy Store a few months back: A nameless, faceless member of the cult itself, the Order of the Crimson Moon. Yes, this guy seems to be a generic army builder figure who is a member of the werewolf cult and he comes with three different hooded heads to allow for some variation if you're army building these guys. Or, like with the Soldiers of Fortune figure The Enemy, this could also be used as a crimson suited version of your favorite commander of cobras (whoever that might be). This guy is just a cool looking figure with quite a few neat accessories that make him versatile for multiple 1/12th scale lines. Who doesn't want to have their heroes fight against a group of evil cultists? Let's take a look at the Order of the Crimson Moon figure after the break...

Action Figure Review: Gray from Masters of the Universe Origins: The Powers of Grayskull by Mattel

 

   Today I'm really excited to check out one of the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins: The Powers of Grayskull figures: Gray! Yes, Gray, the son of King Grayskull and Queen Veena and the secret identity of He-Ro. That's a newer background for the character, though. Gray existed as a character back between 1985 to 1987 during the planned Masters of the Universe expansion "The Powers of Grayskull" where he was to be an ancestor of He-Man and the secret identity of He-Ro, the most powerful wizard in the universe! By placing one hand over his heart, flexing his other arm, and saying the words "Magic & strength, tempered by heart; I stand for peace," Gray would transform into He-Ro. Masters of the Universe Origins has really been exploring the world of Preternia lately, creating figures based on characters from the original 1987 licensing guide, packaging art, and details from the Masters of the Universe Classics era bios and minicomics and finally getting Gray is a pretty cool addition to the line. He's never been made as a figure before in this form (only as He-Ro). Gray is an exclusive to Mattel Creations and was released in May. Ready to check out Gray, the Brave "Secret Identity" of He-Ro? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Major Noir from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Woorkshop

 

   I really appreciate the great response and kind comments I've received for my review of Count Ironmoon from Fresh Monkey Fiction and Big Bad Workshop's The Order of the Crimson Moon toyline so today I'm excited to check out Major Noir, another figure in the line who pays tribute to the Action Force villains from the vintage Palitoy toyline. The Order of the Crimson Moon is definitely a spinoff line of Operation Monster Force but it set in 1974 in Transylvania and focused on a werewolf cult. Major Noir is the second-in-command of the Crimson Moon Army, a devious faction that wants to take over the world and doom humanity. Like with Count Ironmoon, Major Noir is heavily inspired by an Action Force figure; this time the Black Major. Whether you're a fan of the vintage Palitoy Action Force, you want a new villain for Hasbro's G.I. Joe: Classified Series, or you're using these guys to supplement Operation Monster Force, there's a lot to love here. Heck, this guy comes with three swappable portraits that allow for some real versatility. Ready to check out Major Noir? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Blast-Attak from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Want to check out a somewhat obscure Masters of the Universe villain? Then let's take a look at Blast-Attak from Masters of the Universe Origins. Blast-Attak was part of the 1987 series of action figures and is a bit unusual as he was initially listed as an Evil Warrior summoned by Skeletor but his minicomic appearance shows him as being part of the Snake Men as a creation of King Hiss. He's an odd character whose power is exploding into two halves. This doesn't seem to destroy him, though; it's simply his special attac. What an odd guy, right? I'm quite glad that Mattel finally released him in Origins (he went on sale in January) as I love these vintage guys that just don't get as much attention. The last Blast-Attak released that I can recall was a Funko POP! vinyl back in 2020, so we were definitely due for a new Blast-Attak. Ready to see how he turned out for MOTU Origins? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: E. Honda from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Some of you might be wondering where I've been for the past couple weeks as it's been about that long since I last published a review. We actually went on a family vacation and took a sleeper train (with a dining car) to New Orleans for a week. It was a lot of fun and I had the chance to ride in an airboat, go on a ghost tour, eat at a vampire cafe, visit some great book stores, visit a filming location from Live and Let Die, roam the French Quarter, and do some Geocaching. I also ate some great food and we visited the National WWII Museum and the Museum of Illusions while staying in the city. I'm back and rested up, though, and I'm excited to check out another new addition to my collection: E. Honda from Jada Toys' Street Fighter. I've never been very good at the videogame Street Fighter II, though I've always liked it, and as a kid I definitely gravitated to playing characters like Chun-Li, Blanka, and E. Honda as they had special moves which could be activated by rapidly pressing a single button. Who doesn't love the Hundred Hand Slap? Ready to check out the character who introduced so many of us to the sport of sumo wrestling? (I'm guessing for many of us, it was either E. Honda or Tattoo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Tri-Klops from Masters of the Universe Origins: Cartoon Collection (200x) by Mattel

 

   Mattel is releasing quite a few figures from the Mike Young Productions/ 200x cartoon in the Masters of the Universe Origins: Cartoon Collection subset and I recently picked up Tri-Klops, so I figured I'd take a look at him. How cool is it that we're getting so much product from that era? Remember when Mattel couldn't say enough that the "Hyper Anime Detail" style was retired? Well, now we're getting figures from both Mattel and Mondo based on that era. I haven't jumped on any of the Mondo figures yet since they're over $100 each for a 1/12th scale figure and it will have to be someone pretty special to get me to jump through their hoops. Maybe Moss Man? I actually reviewed Mattel's MYP/200x Moss Man from this line back in March, but I'm always down for more Moss Man. Ready to take a peek at Tri-Klops? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Count Ironmoon from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Workshop

 

   Today I'm finally starting to check out The Order of the Crimson Moon, the latest collaboration between Fresh Monkey Fiction and Big Bad Workshop. This line shares parts with other Big Bad Workshop lines such as Operation: Monster Force, Soldiers of Fortune, and C.O.P.S. & Crooks but has a unique story set in the 1970s that involves a Transylvanian werewolf cult, the Order of the Crimson Moon. There are heroes mentioned in the story but they haven't been revealed yet. It even seems possible that the story might take place in the same universe as Operation: Monster Force. One of he big selling points of this line, however, is that these guys are somewhat similar to the British Action Force villains by Palitoy. Action Man, released in 1966, was Palitoy's take on the American 12 inch G.I. Joe. After the success of working along with Kenner in releasing smaller scale Star Wars toys in the UK, Palitoy also shrunk Action Man down, releasing the 1/18th scale Action Force toyline in 1982. In 1983 Action Force released an enemy faction, first known as just the Enemy but later referred to as the Red Shadows, and the leader was Baron Ironblood. So.. who is Count Ironmoon? Well, he's awfully similar to Baron Ironblood, though he has a different head and headgear. A head and headgear that's quite similar to another vintage Action Force figure, the Black Major. I'll get to that in a minute, though. This guy is both a fantastic homage to a vintage Action Force design and a rather unique looking villain who mixes the style of a fascist dictator with a James Bond villain. Ready to check out a new villain for your 1/12th scale heroes to fight? Then join me after the break...

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...

Action Figure Review: Balrog from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Back near the end of April or early May the two newest World Warriors from Jadas Toys' Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers arrived on my doorstep: Balrog and E. Honda. I'm going to kick things off with Balrog, the last of the four original "Bosses" from Street Fighter II. Balrog is probably my least favorite character to play as in the classic games since he only throws punches but he's a character whose design I really like. Modeled after Mike Tyson and called M. Bison in the original Japanese game), he ended up getting renamed to Balrog to prevent any lawsuits for the American release of the game. There actually was a character named Mike in the original Street Fighter who was also a boxer modeled after Tyson, but he and Balrog are apparently different guys. Balrog is packaged in a larger box like other deluxe figures such as Blanka and Sagat but he doesn't feel quite as large as those guys. Blanka is far wider and Sagat is much taller. He's still bigger than your average figure, such as Ryu, but but not by much. Ready to check out this boxer who is ready to go head to head against your other World Warriors and Gandalf the Grey? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Skel-Knight from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   The 2026 Masters of the Universe movie is now out and I had the chance to see it on Thursday night. I absolutely loved it! It's an incredibly fun and colorful love letter to the property filled with fun Easter eggs and deep cuts for the fans and I look forward to speaking more about it in the days ahead. This is not a review for the film, though, so I'm not really going to delve into much that I would consider a serious spoiler but I'm definitely going to talk about some things from the film. Instead, this is a review of the Skel-Knight figure from what is being referred to as the Masters of the Universe "Core" series by most collectors and retailers. What's that mean? This is kind of the main movie branded line that's targeted to kids. It's affordable, has an assortment of vehicles, playsets, and role-play items to support it, and it's absolutely tied to the film (whereas MOTU Chronicles and Origins are getting movie figures, but they're already or will probably evolve into more expansive lines). While geared towards kids and coming it at around $11 dollars each, I think most collectors have been surprised at how decent these figures are. Some of the sculpts are really impressive (though Mattel has done Teela dirty) and the figures are quite fun. I've had my eye on the Skel-Knight as one of my first pickups as these army builders are technically a new concept for the movie (though Skeletor has had skeleton troops before). NOTE: What I talk about from the movie here will be related to Skeletor's army and the Skel-Knights. Ready to check this guy out? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Emma Frost (Diamond Form) Marvel Legends Retro Collection by Hasbro

 

   So, know, this isn't a Masters of the Universe review, but I've had Emma Frost (Diamond Form) sitting on my desk for a month or two and I decided it's finally time to check her out. Emma Frost has received a few figures over the past five years or so and this one is a Target exclusive that's part of the Marvel Legends Retro Collection. What's that mean? She comes on a classic Toy Biz inspire card with no Build-a-Figure piece. This version of Emma is largely a repaint of the Astonishing X-Men version of Emma Frost from 2023's Ch'od Build-a-Figure series, though now she has different portraits, a couple new accessories, and her skin is showing off her secondary mutation of taking on a diamond form. It's a neat variant and one that I don't believe we've seen for 20 years, since Hasbro's 2006 Toys 'R Us exclusive version of diamond Emma Frost. Ready to check out this version of Emma Frost as part of the X-Men? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Multi-Bot from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   The Masters of the Universe movie is upon us! That's something that seemed like it would never happen, right? My local theater doesn't start showing it until Thursday evening but, from folks who have seen it who love MOTU, I've heard nothing but good things. I'm going to be checking out quite a bit of MOTU stuff this month but first up I'm checking out a new MOTU Origins release from 2026: Multi-Bot! If you asked to me to list all of the vintage MOTU figures with no assistance, there are two I'd likely forget: Multi-Bot and Evil Robot. Both of these guys just don't ever pop up in my memory. I never owned either as a kid (and I don't own vintage versions of either) and Evil Robot didn't even make it into MOTU Classics. Multi-Bot, did, though, and that's the only version of the character I won. That actually kind of made it exciting for me to snag the Origins version of Multi-Bot, the evil robot of a thousand bodies. Based on a Roger Sweet concept and a Ted Mayer design, Multi-Bot was part of the 1986 series and was incredibly similar to 1985's Modulok in build and packaging (both figures shipped in a box rather than on a blister card). The Origins version of Multi-Bot comes in a window box, kind of splitting the difference between the vintage packaging and the modern packaging. An exclusive to Amazon (with some stock allocated to Mattel Creations) Multi-Bot does get us a step closer to the completing the vintage line in the Origins style. Ready to check out the Multi-Bot? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Bullet-Proof from C.O.P.S. 'N Crooks by Big Bad Workshop/ Fresh Monkey Fiction

 

   I am incredibly excited to finally check out Bulletproof, the first release from Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's 1/12th scale C.O.P.S. 'n Crooks line. I love Hasbro's C.O.P.S. 'N Crooks line from 1988 and I collected it pretty actively as a kid. Heck, I still have most of my vintage figures, though I have sold off a couple figures and vehicles over the years. While C.O.P.S. 'N Crooks doesn't have the fanbase that many 1980s toylines have, there's still a group of fans who have long wanted Hasbro to revisit the property or incorporate some of the characters into a G.I. Joe toyline. Hasbro has licensed out the property to Fresh Monkey Fiction and they've worked with other companies to release M.U.S.C.L.E. inspired minifigures, 1/18th scaled figures (with Chicken Fried Toys), and now these 1/12th scale figures that will nicely fit in with the various Big Bad Workshop lines, Action Force, and the G.I. Joe: Classified Series. First up is Bullet-Proof (sometimes written as Bulletproof), the Federal Agent who came to Empire City to fight against Big Boss and now leads a special team of the country's best law enforcement specialists against Big Boss and his crime family. Bulletproof is definitely the first character I think of when I think of C.O.P.S. and he was a great choice for the inaugural figure in the line. This guy always seemed like the epitome of cool with his sunglasses and trench coat and I'm excited that Agent Baldwin "Bulletproof" Vess is now able to team up with my other 1/12 scaled action figures. This guy looks awesome working with the Joe team, Operation: Monster Force, and Action Force. Ready to check out Bulletproof? Then join me after the break...