Masters of the Universe Day 2020: Teela from Masters of the Universe by Tweeterhead

   While most Masters of the Universe stuff has traditionally been toys aimed at kids (or toys aimed at collectors), there definitely has been some high end product as well. In 2015 Tweeterhead entered Eternia and Etheria with a very limited series of quarter scale busts of the A-list MOTU cast. Teela was the fourth bust in the series and was released in late 2016. Unlike the rest of the heroic warriors (other than He-Man, of course), Teela has appeared in every incarnation of Masters of the Universe. yes, even The New Adventures of He-Man! Teela was one of the most interesting figures from the 1982 series as her figure was essentially two figures combined together. According to Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich, the idea behind the accessories included with the vintage Teela figure was that she was essentially two figures in one: The Sorceress/ Goddess and Teela! Teela has had many different origins and appearances but I think Tweeterhead did an excellent job of capturing the essence of Teela in this statue. It's very classic and very "vintage" MOTU! Let's check out this incredible rendition of the Warrior Goddess Teela after the break...

Masters of the Universe Day 2020: Beast Man from Masters of the Classics by Mattel

    Since we're checking out the toy successors of the original 8 Masters of the Universe figures from 1982 we gotta check out Beast Man, right? And what better version of Beast Man to check out than the Masters of the Universe Classics Beast Man from 2008. Yes, Beast Man was the technically the third figure in MOTUC after the SDCC King Grayskull and He-Man himself and he was released during the first year of that line. For everything you could ever want to know about the production of this figure you need to check out Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich's video on the MOTUC Beast Man. On my end, I'm going to keep things short and simply remind you that MOTUC is my favorite toyline of all time and while it's nearly done (we're just waiting for Snake Mountain!) I still have hopes that we'll get a figure or two here and there in the future. I've reviewed lots of MOTUC figures over the years but I didn't start doing reviews on my site until 2013 (and originally on The Epic Review) so there are many of the early figures I never reviewed. Beast Man was an excellent example of what MOTUC intended to do with the franchise: Take those vintage figures and designs and realize them with the Four Horsemen's modern sculpting and design. Unlike the 200x line, the original intent of MOTUC was to be faithful to the original design elements rather than reinterpreting them. Beast Man is a pretty good example of a pure MOTUC figure, so let's check him out after the break...

Masters of the Universe Day 2020: Man-At-Arms from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

    How can we talk about the original 1982 lineup of Masters of the Universe toys without bringing up Man-At-Arms? And how can we talk about how those original eight characters have been reinterpreted over the years without bringing up Mattel's 2002 (200x) relaunch of the brand? Let's address both of those points by taking a look at Man-At-Arms from the 200x line! Bolstered by the design and sculpting talents of the Four Horsemen Mattel's 2002 MOTU line seemed like it had some real legs. Unfortunately, poor marketing decisions, bad case ratios, and the Mike Young Productions cartoon series having a constantly shifting time slot led to the line having an early demise. That's still a real shame, too, because the 200x line offers up some of the best pure toys you'll ever find. Man-At-Arms was an incredible redesign of the vintage figure, plus he actually had a mustache. Let's check out the 200x version of Man-At-Arms after the break...

Masters of the Universe Day 2020: Skeletor (Black Hood) (Metallic) from Dorbz: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    As part of today's tribute to the first series of Masters of the Universe figures in 1982, let's take a look at an alternate incarnation of the Evil Lord of Destruction, Skeletor! Skeletor has been around in one form or another since far before Masters of the Universe was a thing, existing in the concept sketches and creative drawings of Mark Taylor. (If you're a fan of MOTU and interested in learning more about the art and history of the line you need to check out the Power and Honor Foundation and the amazing Battle Ram Blog!) Skeletor has become a pop culture icon and still seems to generate as much, and possibly even more, merchandise than He-Man. I own a ton of Skeletor stuff (and that's just what I've reviewed, not all I own) but this cutesy little Dorbz Skeletor caught my eye today. It's such a far cry from the vintage Skeletor and yet it kind of somehow represents the love that fans have for this villain. I've reviewed quite a few MOTU Dorbz lately and I've even reviewed another version of this figure. Based on the infamous "Disco" Skeletor from the 200x era this Dorbz release was a metallic painted exclusive to Big Apple Collectibles. Actually, last time I checked he's still available! Let's take a look at the oddly titled Dorbz Skeletor (Black Hood) (Metallic) after the break...

Masters of the Universe Day 2020: He-Man from He-Man by Mattel

    Let's start with a review of the man who started it all: He-Man! To kick off Masters of the Universe Day 2020 I'm going to be checking out the New Adventures He-Man figure from 1989! Why? Because today I'm going to pay tribute to the cast of the original vintage 1982 line of Masters of the Universe figures by looking at how those characters were reinterpreted as toys in different lines over the years and the most unique re-imagining of He-Man I can think of is the 1989 sci-fi/ fantasy He-Man. Released only a couple of years after the vintage line ended, Mattel's He-Man line (usually referred to as New Adventures by fans due to the Jetlag Productions animated series) offered a new take on the character. Rather than continuing to defend Eternia the New Adventures of He-Man sent the titular character into space to defend the planet Primus from the Evil Space Mutants. Of course, Skeletor went along for the ride as well! The "He-Man" figures were a radical departure from the classic MOTU style as they're slimmer, articulated different, and are far more science fiction than barbarian fantasy. I remember getting many of these as a kid as I would have been in the prime age (I would have been 5 or 6 in 1989) but they always did feel very different and not quite "He-Man" enough for me. Looking back years later I find them quite fascinating (though I love the Masters of the Universe Classics versions of the NA characters the best) and enjoy collecting them when I can. Let's take a look at Mattel's first attempt to relaunch He-Man after the break...

Old School MOTU: Hordak from Masters of the Universe by NECA

     After reviewing the NECA Masters of the Universe "staction" of Rio Blast on Friday I decided to review another one today. Why not Hordak? Hordak is absolutely one of the most popular of the NECA stactions and for a good reason: This is probably the coolest rendition of Hordak ever! Hordak did appear in the Mike Young Productions cartoon series and was intended to eventually be released in the 200x toyline but the show and the toyline were cancelled before that could ever happen. Apparently Hordak would have escaped Despondos in season 3 to conquer Eternia. It still breaks my heart that the MYP series ended after only two seasons and without ever getting to that full story line. Heck, imagine if we would have finally gotten She-Ra and the Great Rebellion in that series as well? That would have been epic! NECA included the Four Horsemen's rendition of Hordak in the first series of the staction mini statues in 2005 so at last fans can have a Hordak on their shelf to augment the 200x series. Let's check out Hordak after the break and see how this Ruthless Leader of the Evil Horde turned out...

Old School MOTU: Beast Man from Pint Size Heroes: Masters of the Universe by Funko

    Just a heads up: April 28th is Masters of the Universe Day and I've got some big plans! I'm not going to spill the beans just yet but I'm pretty excited about what's in store. Today as a little precursor to whet your appetite I've got a review of Beast Man from Funko's Pint Size Heroes line. These little guys were sold in blind bags back in 2018 and they kind of remind me of miniature Dorbz figures. Beast Man was part of the series which makes perfect sense as he's one of the A-list MOTU characters who appears in nearly every MOTU thing out there. Honestly, the only major MOTU thing I don't think he appeared in was the New Adventures of He-Man. Otherwise, this orange ruffian is always hanging around at Skeletor's right hand. Let's check out this Pint Size Heroes Beast Man after the break...